Arthur's Awakening - PART 1
by Kazuki Matsuoka
Summary: It has been thousands of years since Arthur died and Merlin has moved on with his life as human society changed, but now Arthur has rose again and meets a girl named Maree, she helps Arthur find Merlin and so they take a trip on to find him.
1. Chapter 1 - Arthur's Awakening

It has been thousands of years since Arthur's death, since then human population has increased, technologies evolved, everything had changed. Merlin also had moved onto his life as humans evolved as he waited for Arthur to come back, and he still hasn't….until now.

Back in Albion the lake still remained upon human civilisation, and one of those people would come there to explore the history of the ancient land as one of the oldest known islands of Great Britain.

"Computer, weather status report" Maree called out to her multiple computers which had speech recognition, they replied to her in a normal human like voice, "Today is cloudy with 23 degrees"

She had put on her coat and zipped it up before commanding her computers to shut down, she grabbed a sketchbook and went outside, stopping to get used to the breeze once she opened the door and then proceeded to take a small walk to the lake, as she would always do every Sunday to take some sketches.

She was an artist, when she first came here, she was mesmerised by the lake for its somewhat….aura it gave her and from then she would draw the lake for its strange feeling. She always wondered what it was and what is its purpose, that's when she read about the legend of Merlin and Arthur, as interested as she is into German history of the Nazi's and Japanese history, this was another one that captured her. From then, knowing that she can see people that have died in dreams, she had tried to practise magic but all of her attempts have failed. But even so, she kept on visiting the lake to capture that feeling and it gave her warmth inside.

She sighed, though the feeling inside refused her to be relaxed, it kept her awake and full of energy. _"Let's try now"_ She put down her sketch book and raised her hand to her chest, feeling the aura she pictured a fire and cast a spell, but alas when she opened her eyes, it didn't work like all of the rest of the attempts. She sighed again, picking up her sketchbook again and proceeding to draw, but then she though if she walked around the lake she might feel something? Maybe…..but it's worth a try.

She got up and went on a walk around the lake, it's an enormous lake but she didn't care if it took a whole damn day to finish the trip. It'll be good for health anyways when she always works in her house with all of the books and technology inside her house. " _Maybe I'll find something….."_

She wasn't wrong, she indeed had a long trip around the lake just looking at the middle point of it while walking, and she couldn't take her eyes off it. But despite her hearing, she could hear something, among the birds and wind blowing, she could hear rustling. She stopped a moment to listen carefully, raising her ears up at her best skill. She heard the rustling again, she wondered where it was coming from but couldn't tell where it was coming from but she had a feeling of where it was so she followed it. It guided her through the forest and then into the bushes, as good as her eyes were (better than everyone else's) she spotted a person right away.

"Hey! Who's over there!?" She ran over to the figure and once she got a full view of him, she was stopped in her own tracks. She recognised who it was.

He had full armour on but with no sword or shield as she saw, but he had blonde hair, it can be no other than… "Arthur Pendragon….."


	2. Chapter 2 - Where's Merlin?

He was lying there, but moving a little bit in an unconscious state. She gasped, putting her hands on her head, thinking about what to do, she panicked but she couldn't leave him there and there was a long way back.

 _"Urgh…."_ She groaned and put up with it, lifting Arthur up fully clothed resting him over her back and started to walk back. It took the rest of the day just to carry him back, it was almost like midnight when she finally got him back to the house. Panting hard because he was frickin' heavy, she was glad that she found him but if anyone else found him, they might cause a ruckus. Getting him back into the house, she put him on top of her bed, not minding the fact that he's wet all over, and takes his armour off along with his chains and protective clothing. Leaving him with his inside clothing, she put a blanket over him and turned on the heater, knowing that he must be cold after sleeping in the lake for thousands of years. Then she kneeled down to him, putting her hand on his forehead, he doesn't have a fever, and then puts her hand on his neck to check for a pulse.

He's alive.

With a relieved sigh, she takes his boots off and puts them near the heater. He stinks as well, but it will be taken of when he wakes up. She then went to make some dinner since she needs to eat, all she had today was fruit and water that was brought with her.

Making dinner, she noticed something. That warm burning feeling in her chest, it's still there. But she isn't at the lake, she then turned around to Arthur, stepping forward, she noticed that the burning feeling came from him.

 _"Why?"_

She twisted and turned her head whilst looking at him, confused at why she was feeling this but she was sure that there was a perfect explanation and shook it off.

After making dinner, she made sure to make more for Arthur for later in case if he awoke. She prepared the stew and sat down to eat it whilst Arthur was sleeping in her sights. _"Now where is his sword?"_ She thought, it would be in the lake of Albion as the legend said, but then… hold on. Sword, sword…..Mordred…SWORD!

She pounced out at Arthur, remembering his injury that caused his death, she checked if it was any remaining wounds, but none remained, she left out a heavy sigh of relief.

 _"He should be okay then…"_ Going back to eating her dinner, she relaxed this time.

Two days passed and she has been watching him ever since he first arrived, getting worried, she has been checking his health. She is no doctor but knows how to look after someone, while she was waiting she assumed that he would want to get his armour polished so she did that and placed them on a table next to him and cleaning out the whole place so he wouldn't freak.

Waiting…until he finally moved, he breathed out and coughed. She went over to his side right away. "Arthur?" She spoke to him and he slightly opened his eyes. Waving her hands over his little sight he slowly opened them fully and blinked at his first awakening. He slowly then got up and looked around, fuddled and confused.

"Are you alright Arthur? Take it slowly" She held him up and Arthur took his time to let his eyes roam around the room.

"Where in the blazes am I?" He asked, "What the hell happened…..?"

"You've just woken up, this is the 21st century Arthur, you have been sleeping a long time" She said and Arthur shook his head, "I thought I was dead"

"You were, do you hurt anywhere?"

"No…..but my head hurts…." He brought his hand up to his head and then he jumped, "Merlin?!"

Maree stopped him in his tracks, "Arthur! Don't speed up suddenly, it's not good for your body!"

Then he wondered, "Where's my armour? And…" He takes a sniff of himself, "I stink! I need a bath"

"I'll prepare you a bath, and wait here, I am sure that you have a million questions to ask me and I'll answer them in time but don't touch anything" She ordered him and went to the bathroom to prepare him a bath.

Arthur twitched a bit and yawned, it was quite a long yawn that when he finished, he felt refreshed and completely awake. "Oh geez, that was relaxing" And then he spotted his armour, when he first saw it, it was glistening like it was polished a thousand times, he picked up in complete awe. "What the hell did you do to my armour?!"

"Whatever stuff that you used to polish it in your times, our tools are a lot better today to make it look that good" Maree called out from the bathroom.

"Have I really been sleeping for a long time?" He asked. "Yes" She answered, "Your bath is ready"

"That was rather quick" He said, getting up and Maree led him into the bathroom. For the first time in his life he see's sparkling white all around the room, by the look of everything, he was completely confused. But then he saw the water in the tub, it looked like the same tub that he would bathe in but a lot different.

"Is that…..the tub…?" He asked, pointing at it.

"Yes, tubs look like that today" Maree nodded. "And what is that thing?" Arthur then pointed at the shower. "That is a shower, it sprays water on you so it's faster"

Arthur gave a "really" look and decided to use the bath since it was already prepared. He took off his clothes and sat inside the tub, letting out a huge relaxed sigh. "Oh god, I feel like I haven't taken a bath this good in ages…." And then the taps took his attention. "What are these?"

"Those are taps, one gives you cold water and the other gives you hot water, the more you turn them, the hotter and colder they get"

"Useful, how do they do that?" He asked.

"There is a machine out in the back, it uses gas and fire to create heat for warm water, and for cold…well, that is more difficult to explain"

"And are those….lights? They're rather bright" He looks up to the lights on the roof. "We have a power source of energy called electricity used to create light"

He frowned, "Is it magic?"

"No, it is more scientific"

"Oh" Rest assured, he relaxed some more once he was aware of the new objects around him then he looked at Maree, "I apologise, I haven't got your name"

"Maree" She introduced yourself and his eyes widened, "You're a girl? I thought you were an odd looking modern man"

"Well thank you, most people think that. But there's no need to freak out"

"It's just that your voice and looks confuse me, but are you a servant?" He asked and Maree shook her head, "People today don't have servants. We are smart enough to look after ourselves"

He scoffed, " _Thanks_ , now where are my clothes?"

"In the washing machine, but I'll get you some nice fresh ones that were handed to me from my Father" Maree goes out to her cupboard and finds some clothes while Arthur gets out of the tub to dry himself up and wraps the towel around his waist. "Let me take a look" He said, going to her room and takes a look at the clothes that she found, he takes some and puts them together, "They'll do, but what are those pants?"

"They're called jeans"

"Well, all of this aside, where the heck is Camelot? And….where is Merlin?" He puts the clothes on along with the underwear and socks that Maree gives him.

"I don't know about Merlin, but I bet he is still alive"

Arthur turned to her in surprise, "Do you know where he is?" He asked, hoping that she would give him a yes as an answer, but she shook her head. _Oh._

"As for Camelot, it isn't alive anymore"

"ITS NOT?!" He almost screamed in shock.

She shushed him, "But it's still alive, it just hasn't been used for centuries"

"Oh thank goodness for that, take me there right away I want to find some clues on what has happened while I was gone and whether happened to Merlin and where he is" He finishes dressing. "You want to go find him?" Maree asked and Arthur nodded.

"Then I know just how to help"


	3. Chapter 3 - Back to Camelot

Maree then turned on her computers, "Computer, search for: Merlin of Camelot"

And with Arthur's surprise, results popped up on each and every screen there was, he then stared at the results and words. "Is this…..Merlin..? And…" He spots himself, "Me…? I'm a legend?"

"Yes, many stories have been told about the legend of Arthur and Merlin. If we can find him, we can track him down"

"What is this?"

"It's called the World Wide Web, it's like a massive library that contains all of the answers down to possibly everything in the world you need to know"

"That's amazing…."

Maree then goes to Facebook and looks him up, it comes up with a long list of similar names. Maree sighed, "The population is so high that there may be hundreds of people called Merlin, it'll take forever to find him"

Maree went through other sources of social media and listed down the number of Merlins in the world which stressed Arthur out a bit, wondering what else to do to find him.

"Looking at their ages and locations of every Merlin through these pages, there is no single one that shows that it is really him"

"Then there is one thing to confirm"

"What?" He rose his head to Maree from the printed out papers. "He can't be found on the web. He has left no information about his whereabouts or his existence"

"Then I'll scare the earth to find him if I have to"

"How? It's rather…big"

"I don't care" He got up and heads towards the houses front entrance, "We're leaving for Camelot and get the…uh….." He stopped, "Do you still have horses?"

"Yes, but we use a better form of transport"

When they got packed and ready, also bringing along Arthur's set of armour, Maree revealed her motorcycle which made Arthur's mouth gape, "What the hell is _that_?"

"It's called a motorcycle, it's what we call a machine"

"I wonder where you people these days get these crazy ideas from" Arthur said while Maree gives him a helmet, "Here is your helmet"

"What…..this is a _strange_ helmet, do you fight with these weird things on?"

"No, they are just used to protect your head" Maree snicked about the thought of sword fighting while wearing them. She puts it on his head and puts on her own helmet before getting on the bike, "Now come on"

Arthur gets on as well, "Well…this isn't particularly bad since the seat is comfortable"

"Just hold on" Maree starts up the bike and Arthur jumps a bit, but keeps calm. "Let's go!" And they drove off, at first Arthur screamed at the speed but he shut his mouth when he refused himself to, eventually he found the ride quite fun.

It wasn't long until they reached the gates of Camelot since it wasn't far away from the lake of Albion, but Arthur was surprised about the changes in the place as they rode along. When they arrived, Maree turned off the bike and they took off their helmets, Arthur was excited to see Camelot again but once he saw the sight of the castle, his eyes dropped.

"It's…..old…and it looks wretched…"

The whole castle looked dark and overtaken by nature, his heart sank. But they proceeded on, Arthur noticed that the gate was locked and groaned at the fact but then he found some keys next to the gate. He grabbed them right away and unlocked the gate, it was however very rusty so it wasn't as easy to open as usual. Once it was open, he let out a sigh. "I'm home"

Once they went through the gates, Maree closed them as they went in. But then she suddenly flinched. "Hmm?" Arthur noticed her sudden movement and turned around to her, "Are you okay?"

She was silent for a bit, trying to gather what just happened. "When I touched the gate…..I got an image…."

"An image? What image?"

She gathered her thoughts, "Merlin"

Arthur twitched, "What about Merlin? What did you see?" He was in a hurry to know. "He…he put these keys here"

"Merlin did?"

"Yeah, maybe it was used as some sort of clue in hope for you to find him again"

"Then Merlin must have left some things inside, but I want to inspect the place first" He said before heading off into Camelot, but then Maree stood for a moment and tried a spell. For the first time, there was fire in her hand, it worked.

She hurried after Arthur, and they walked into the castle grounds, they entered the main hall and the first thing Arthur saw was a huge portrait of him in the middle of the hall behind the king's chair. "They must have missed me…" he assumed.

But Maree but startled by something else, "Uuuuh….Arthur?" She pointed the ghosts that she could see, Arthur turned around but see's nothing. "What?"

"The….ghosts….?" She said, still a little surprised. Arthur looked again, "I don't see anything"

"Then it must be me" She concluded and Arthur got confused, "What are you talking about?"

"Some people in my family can talk to the dead, it's something that we're born with"

"Can you? But why are you so startled?"

"Because ghosts usually don't show themselves out in the open like this"

"Who do you see?"

Maree looks around, "I see….. Kights, an old man who looks like Gaius, and….Gwenivere…."

"Gwen?!"

"Yeah, that's all I see Arthur. But they're all just standing and sitting still"

He exhaled, "Is that thing that you have a gift of magic?" He asked and Maree looked at him, "Maybe, I have never thought of it like that. It's normal. I have been practicing magic but nothing works. Even if I could, magic isn't banned"

"Hm, what if you took off your glasses?"

Maree takes off her glasses and tries a spell, "Leohtbora" She said, her eyes flashed gold and all of the remaining torches went on. Arthur wasn't surprised, "You have magic?"

"I don't understand this at the moment Arthur, no one has used magic for centuries"

"Well, firstly I won't kill you because I know I can't. And plus I think I am pretty used to this magic thing already so come on. I want to see whether Merlin has left my room in a good state"

Maree followed him on as he walked to his chambers, and once he arrived there and went inside, he was surprised.

"It's…..clean…" Maree said, just as surprised as him. Arthur then inspected his chambers, "Too clean, this must be Merlin's doing, I recognise it" he then went to his cupboard and took a look at his clothes, sniffing them "They're clean"

"Then he must be alive" Arthur then goes to his desk and starts writing a note, "I'll leave something behind just in case if he happens to come back"


	4. Chapter 4 - Finding Merlin

"Well, at least that Merlin has been keeping my chambers clean. When he says that he will be my servant until he dies, I didn't think that he would mean that literally. The _idiot_ " Arthur takes his first bite of food after they go back home, after his first taste he was immediately captured by the taste. "How did you cook this? I have never tasted better food in my life!"

"We have better food sources these days, people hunt for us, skin them and deliver them, others will crop and serve vegetables and then sell them in shops. It's how people get things today"

"Just how many people are in this world now?"

"Billions altogether"

Arthur nearly spilled his drink but was able to stop himself, "What now? Billions?"

"Yes"

Arthur settled down and gobbles down his dinner, "This is really good" He then looks at the cups, "What are those made of?"

"Glass"

"Seriously? People are able to make cups out of glass?"

"Yes"

His eyes rolled, "Things here now always seem to amaze me, the television thing was weird considering how those people got in there"

Maree snorted a little, recalling the memory. "By the way, apart from Camelot, are there any other castles that you know of are still active?"

Maree remembered something, "Yes". Arthur turned her head to him, "Really? There is?" He brightened up to finally know that there is something that he knows about.

"Yes, but it's not in this country"

Arthur then frowned, proceeding to eat his dinner. "It's called Kryal castle, they still have knights and they do events and tournaments there, but it is also a place where come and take a look at their history and celebrate"

He listened but he couldn't help in being interested, "Where is this place?"

"It is in the southern hemisphere in the south east of the country Australia"

"Southern hemisphere?"

"That means, down of the bottom of the earth"

"But isn't the earth a flat surface? Aren't you afraid that you might fall off the end?"

"No, you see scientists have seen that no matter how far you go, there is no end, you just simply end where you started from. The earth is shaped like a sphere"

"Is there no end to this new knowledge?"

"No, we simply just keep evolving"

Arthur rolled his eyes again, "So how can we get there?"

"Lucky for you, I was born there so I can get you there easily"

"Really? How?"

"PLANES?! That's the next thing you show me?! Planes?!"

"They are flying transports that will take a day or less to get there" Maree said. "Well, that is better than nothing then, let's depart on this….plane for Australia"

When Maree prepared Arthur a passport he got rather suspicious about how it all works, he thought that they would be travelling on a boat of some sort and the permission to go explained the passport, but when Maree took him to the airport, it was not what he expected.

"I had to get special permission for you to bring along your armour, if you had a sword it wouldn't be allowded" Maree said as they go to their line.

"Why aren't swords allowed to go on planes?" He asked.

"Because there are bad people that want to use swords and things as weapons on the plane. So they are banned to be brought with us. However your armour is a protective object so it was allowed to go"

"I see. But why can't you just teleport us to Australia?"

"It's not that simple, if you teleported to another country without legal permission you are breaking a law. Besides, I don't know any teleportation spells"

"I thought you studied"

"Magic of the old religion is scattered everywhere, it's extremely rare and very difficult to find. Nowadays western modern magic is in English and is more sophisticated than just simple enchantments. From what I know, the old religion has been dead ever since you died"

Arthur stopped for a moment. "Magic has been dead since I died?"

"Yes, Merlin is magic and is part of the old religion himself. I fear that ever since you died, a part of Merlin died too, and that is probably the reason why I was unable to do magic"

Arthur put his hands together and went dead silent.

"But Arthur…."

Arthur didn't move from his position, "When I used to take my short walks to the lake of Albion, I was able to feel something…warm. Maybe it was magic"

"What about it?"

"The same warm feeling that I feel at that lake is the same warm feeling I get from you"

Arthur furrowed his brows, "Me?"

"You're alive now and magic is back, if he feels it then he knows that there is hope for him and that you're alive"

"He is probably searching for me as we speak"

"Do you fear that we might pass him as we are searching?"

"Maybe. But Merlin isn't as stupid as he is so I am pretty sure that he has something in his head, so first we should get to Australia. It can be the first thing on Merlin's mind if he has been there"

On the plane Arthur was surprisingly quiet on the way, Maree thought for a moment that he was scared of flying, she chuckled a bit at the sight. His face was just blank.

"Arthur?"

Arthur twitched, "Yes?" He said, "What is it?"

"Are you scaaared Arthur?" Maree teased and Arthur scoffed, "No, of course not! I just hope that we can get there soon enough so I can do tournaments again, all of this future stuff is driving me crazy, it's all…..like…..Merlin…ish"

"Merlin-ish?"

"Like the world now is like his brain"

"Well, I suppose that he is glad that the world isn't like a royal prat"

Arthur froze, _"What?"_

Maree shut her mouth.

"Did your history books tell you some of Merlin's _stupid_ words?"

"Yes" She adverted his eyes and he rolled his eyes at her, "That _idiot_ "

"But for now, what can I do for you while you go back to your knighthood at Kryle?"

"I can't say how grateful I am after you took me into your house and looked after me, but with your magic, I would be happy if you could further your practices because I would like to see if we can try to contact Merlin in any way"

"Using magic?"

"If Kryle castle is a place of history then we could surely find some spells there that could fit your pieces, and mine"


	5. Chapter 5 - Kryle Castle

"Okay, now that we have gotten here at the castle, what do we plan to do?" Maree asked Arthur as he smiled when they finally arrived at Kryle Castle after being on the plane for hours on end.

"Does this place have a ruler?"

"I doubt it, the people that take care of the place only look after it to keep it alive. The only thing I know is that there are special staff that take care of the core of the castle, they are the people to talk to, and we only have to ask for them at the front door"

"Good thing that we have my armor, it has the royal seal on them. Come on, let's go and I'll take the lead"

It was good thing that it wasn't school holidays, and not many people were at the castle for the day, as they went in Arthur's eyes traveled around the place to explore before getting to the registration office. There was a man there and he raised his head to him, "Welcome to Kryle Castle sir"

"I wish to speak to whoever is the owner of this castle"

The man raised his head, "Who are you?"

"I am King Arthur of Camelot"

The man's eyes widened, "Come with me right away"

"King Arthur of Camelot?!" The head man of the castle's mouth dropped, his voice rang throughout the castle with surprise with a piece of his armor in his hand which showed the royal seal.

"Yes" Arthur spoke, "I have returned and it's wonderful to be back"

"We have told stories about you here and we are blessed to hear of your arrival back into this world. It seems that the prophecy is true"

"Prophecy?"

"There have been prophecies about you far before you were born, and they say that you will return again. And it has been so long! Welcome back!"

They give each other a strong handshake and Arthur returned the smile. "The world today is rather strange for my taste"

"You are always welcome here, whenever the present day weird you out you are more than comfortable to stay here"

"Likewise"

They bow to each other, "I would love to take a tour around the castle" Arthur proceeded.

They took a 'wondrous" tour around the castle and Arthur took most interest in the knights and was willing to train them, and be a knight himself for his stay. It's worth it anyways, because he is bound to attract visitors.

"I have a question in mind Tom" Arthur said, watching the knight's train.

"Yes sire?" Tom had his full attention.

"I am looking for someone and I think you know who that someone is"

"Who is this person that you're looking for?"

"There has been a sorcerer that has been protecting me since he arrived in Camelot when I was prince"

"Yes, I know who you are looking for. Merlin" Tom smiled at him. "I do know him. He served this castle once"

"Really?!"

"He was a very loyal servant, however he was somewhat lonely sometimes but he always masked that with some….."

"What?"

"He was always clumsy and a bit of an idiot. He called people names in humor and was very funny"

"That's Merlin" Arthur said, remembering back.

"Tom hasn't seen Merlin in ten years, he doesn't even know where he is or have any contact with him" Arthur said, disappointed as he sits down in his chair next to Maree in their little reserved house within the castle walls.

"He wouldn't leave traces behind, he is immortal. If someone knew that he was thousands of years old, it would be weird and suspicious"

"Unless if it was magic"

"But even if he was here, he had no magic!"

"Then my question is: Why did you have that vision with the key?"

"Then that is what we have to find out next"

They then go down to their main library where they hope to find something, once they went inside they instantly went looking for any books that related to sorcery.

"You know…..I never thought that I would be doing this ever in my life" Arthur said, collecting books, "This would be illegal"

"At least now that isn't going to be a problem. Maybe you could find some history on your wife, see if she had a son or daughter"

"That's a good idea! Or even…..we could find Merlin's family tree, if we can we should start from the bottom and keep climbing until we find him"

Maree rolled his eyes, "I doubt that they would have any idea about his whereabouts. Besides, looking for his family will only take an even longer time to find him" She goes through pages and finds something, "Oh, here's your family tree Arthur" She passes the book to him and he takes a look.

"Gwen had a son…." He gasped with a happy smile, "He was named after me" He chuckled, going down through the family tree.

Then Maree finds a book, once she touches it, she halts a bit and then takes it out of its position. Though dusty, she blows the book clean and looks at the old ancient looking thing. "Arthur….." She opens it and finds some writing on the inside of the cover.

"Yes? What have you found?" He goes over to her and takes a look at the book. "The writing…it says…."To Merlin from Gaius"…..Gaius _was_ a sorcerer? Well, he did practise it"

"Other than that, this is Merlin's magic book. And when I touched it…..I had a vision of him putting it there" She paused for a moment. "It is possible that everything that Merlin touches has left a vision or memory behind, clues"

"So the more you touch what Merlin has touched, the more clues you get" Arthur concluded. "Yes"

"Then we'd better start exploring starting from tomorrow, we need our rest from that plane trip. Let us get some rest" He pats her on the shoulder and they put everything away except for the magic book, and they went back to their small house.

"So, let's try something shall we?" Maree puts the book down on the table and flips through pages, she finds something and laughs.

"What?" Arthur asked and Maree shook her head, "This will be funny, I'll try this"

"What? Try what?!" Arthur asked, raising his voice.

"Hold on, you'll see" She stands up and holds the book. "Wes asnied gyrdel" She said and then Arthurs pants fell down, she went laughing instantly when she saw Arthur's face.

"That…explains something" He pulls his pants back up, not letting himself get mad. " _I will have to kick him up the arse when I find him"_


	6. Chapter 6 - Merlin's Scent

The next morning Arthur woke up to sudden clattering and noises in the background, he wondered what the heck the noise was about, so he got out of bed and opened his door to Maree doing the laundry…..well, magic laundry?

One is scrubbing clothes, one is polishing armour and sharpening a sword, polishing boots in mid-air and Maree is putting away clothes. He froze, remembering the first day Merlin became his manservant and he managed to do all of his chores in one night. He sighed, adding that to the list of 'Magic things that Merlin has done behind my back' so he can kick him later for it.

"Good morning" He said, and then suddenly Maree dropped everything. "Arthur?"

"What? You didn't need to stop doing whatever you were doing, proceed"

"Sorry, I guess I was used to hiding my magic" She said, using it again to keep going and Arthur approached her. "Are you preparing my armour?"

"Yes…..?" Maree got a slight weird feeling. "You don't have to do all this, let me help you"

"Oh" Maree sniggered, but then Arthur just glanced at her. "You're not kidding?" her eyes widened. "No, I'll get some clothes on. And I'll make breakfast" He goes off to his room.

Maree's mouth gaped, "But in the legend I heard that your first time at cooking for a lady was a complete failure!"

"Whoever said that is a lie" Arthur called back.

Maree had some doubts. "Why don't we just go and have breakfast at the canteen where all of the guests dine?" She suggested to try and avoid a disaster. "No, I will prove it to you" Arthur came out with clothes on.

"Then what will you be making?" Maree asked him and he thought for a moment. "Well….I can just get some fruit and some ham, because that is usually what I have for breakfast. Sound good?"

Maree sighed, "What about some pancakes?"

"What are those?"

"I'll teach you, they're easy to make. Get some milk, eggs, sugar and flour and we need a bowl. All we have to do is combine the milk, eggs, sugar and four together, mix it well and get some butter on a pan, let it melt and pour some mixture onto it, make a circle, and cook both sides, if you can flip it over"

"Got it" Arthur nodded.

At first Arthur had no idea how to crack eggs, and then he had to be taught how much they needed to measure the amount of things they needed. He had no problem with the mixing and swiftly went to making pancakes on the pan.

 _I hope he doesn't stuff up with flipping the pancake…..he is good with a sword so I think he will be okay…._

Arthur gets ready and then he successfully flips the pancake. "Yes! When we are done with one, do we serve it?"

"Yes, we can serve it with honey, syrup, ice cream or with jam"

"What are they?" he asked.

Soon they had a pile of pancakes in front of them and Maree got some jam, honey, syrup, jam and ice cream. "Jam is like fruit crushed together to make a paste, honey is harvested from bees, we collect it, it is sweet sticky stuff, and ice cream is like…..well, you'll know cause it tastes delicious" She introduced them.

"I'll give them a try" Arthur nodded.

He gave the jam a go first and liked it, honey was usually known to be used as medicine so he hesitated for a bit, but was surprised once he tasted it. "I'm surprised, I thought this was used for medicine"

"It's an expensive liquid if you were drinking it in Camelot, but now that it's more common, they're easier and cheaper to buy to be eaten with foods"

"I see, then what is syrup?"

"It is similar to honey, instead of bees, it comes off trees or sugar cane"

"Interesting, then I'll try the ice cream" He then takes a look at the container and stared at it, he touches it a bit and then takes the lid off. "What is this material? It's…bendy"

"Plastic, it's harmless. Used for containing many things and is used to replace tin. It can be hard, soft and be like paper but more fragile"

He proceeded on and looked at the white ice cream inside. "Wow…..it looks like what I imagined it to be, better than sandwiches" He grabs a spoon and scoops up some ice cream before having a taste. Then his eyes lit up, "Whoa"

"What did I tell you?"

Arthur ate all of his pancakes without fail.

"Arthur?"

"Yes?" Arthur said while he prepares for some training.

"There are brand new foods out there, while I teach you about them, there are good foods and bad ones. I suggest fruit, vegetables, meat, milk and water because there are too many things that include too much sugar and that's bad for you"

"Thank you for the advice"

"No worries"

Maree then gives him a sword, "If you need a training buddy, I am willing to practice with you"

Arthur glanced at her, "You?", she nodded, "Yes, I am trained in physical combat, and I remember when I was a child I used to fight my father with a wooden sword"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "I did the same myself when I was a boy too" He then drops his sword, "Go on, try me"

Maree goes into position as Arthur also does, but Maree's position confused him a bit but when they started fighting her fighting was different than he expected. She was using her legs a lot more than her fists so his punches couldn't reach her chest, he figured that he would have to use a different method but she noticed and used her fists instead as soon he changed to using his legs. As powerful and quick as they were, she was able to grab one and lift it up, causing him to lose his footing and fall over.

"Whoa, not bad" Arthur chuckled.

"You got to learn how to fight without a sword Arthur, not only you use your fists, but also your brain"

"Where did you learn all that?"

"I was taught a martial art called karate, it is a fighting skill taught in the country of Japan, Okinawa. We learn how to use swords too, but also a lot more weapons to choose from"

"Sweet, I'd like to learn more from you. You can make yourself useful, Merlin would hide behind a tree or something" Maree helps him up and he picks up his sword, going off to training. "Ah" Maree remembered.

"What?"

"One question, what does Merlin smell like?"

Arthur looked at her as if she's weird, "What Merlin _smells_ like?"

"I don't have very good hearing but my nose is very sensitive, if I were to know what he smells like then I can track down his scent of where he has been so I will know where to touch"

Arthur went into thought for a moment, "That is difficult to describe. Though skinny, he is very warm, every day he smells like polishing oil mixed with water and a bit of….I dunno, grass"

"Hmm.. okay, I'll see what I can find"

"By the way" Arthur stops her before she leaves, "You are _very_ weird"

"Thanks"

The first place she goes to is the lost property in the Camelot section outside the Kryal Castle and goes through all of the clothes until she finds a shirt with a familiar smell that Arthur described and it looked like something that Merlin would wear, so she took it with her and went back to Arthur while he was taking a short break.

"Hey Arthur"

"Yes?" He said, short of breath and Maree showed the shirt to him, "Smell it, is it familiar?"

Arthur took a sniff, "Yes, that is Merlin. Where did you find that?"

"In the lost property, looks like Merlin left something behind"

"Did you get anything?"

"I got a vision but nothing useful, it seems that he didn't deliberately lose it. Other than that, now that we know what he smells like, I can do a full search"

"Get on with it then"

She left Arthur after that, she started by going through the hotel rooms searching for the smell, any trace of it. Room by room, she searched until….. "Huh?"

She felt a certain warmth and it wasn't Arthur, his was stronger but this was faint, still, she followed it and it guided her to a staff hotel room. She tried to open it but it was locked, so she put her head against the door to hear if anyone was inside, no sound but checked for any vibration with her fingers before using a spell to open the door. The first thing she got was that smell from the shirt she found earlier.

"Jackpot"


	7. Chapter 7 - Visions

Maree went ahead and looked inside the room, first tracing her fingers along the wall for a sign but left no visions for her until she turned around from the wall, for a second, someone was standing there. She froze, what was that….? For a second there was a man dressed in brown, a grey shirt and red neckerchief…..with raven black hair and blue eyes…

"Merlin!"

But he was gone, but why the heck was he there? Even for a second? Her heart skipped a beat and proceeded to search on but was then distracted by a foul smell, it went up her nose instantly, it was toxic cleaning products. She coughed and sputtered at the smell, instantly she used her sleeve to cover her nose away from it, she opened the cupboard to where the smell was coming and found spoilt and leaking containers. No wonder and kept them in mind to clean the mess later.

Closing the cupboard, she goes through the hotel, looking for anything but no trace of anything, just a faint smell that has been taken over completely by the cleaning products. Her throat swelled and it was almost hard to breathe. Getting out of the room, she closed the door behind her and took a breath of the fresh air.

"About Merlin…" Arthur proceeded during lunch, "Did he perform any magic here at all?"

"No sire, he never did but he did do magic tricks with children but no sorcery"

 _I see….._

"Arthur!" Maree then called as she went into the room, but then halted, remembering that she should be quiet and then approached Arthur quietly. He stared at her as if she is being weird again, "Did you find-" He was about to say something but he lost his words when he saw her change in clothes and what she was wearing, he stared at her hard and there was a long moment of silence.

" _What_ are you wearing?"

She looked at herself and gave him a "huh?", "My feet have low circuitry and get cold easily. Leather helps" Explaining the boot like shoes, "And I have a sensitive nose, as you know, if I smell something foul, it doesn't go away so I need something to cover my nose" Explaining the necktie, "And I'm European, so I get cold easily though I was born in Australia"

Arthur's mouth dropped, _He looks…..like Merlin…_

"Other than that, did you find anything?"

"Well, I found Merlin's hotel room when he stayed here and….."

"What?"

"I saw Merlin, for a second. He was there and then he disappeared"

Arthur became confused, "A different kind of vision? Or was he really there?"

"A vision, it must be. A really strange one….." She scratched her neck.

"Why?"

"I have suddenly become clumsy….I have already bumped my head onto the door when I open it…and tripped over a couple of times…it's so not like me….."

"It must have hit you hard. Why don't you get some rest? Take a break, and I'll come see you"

"Good idea" Maree shrugged, "I'll take a break and maybe this will just rub off" She walks back but when she opens the door, her head bumps into it. "OW!" She hissed from the pain. Arthur chuckled a bit from the sight.

"I quite missed having to see someone bump their head on the door" Tom said to Arthur, "And why's that?"

"Merlin used to do that all the time when he was in a daze, used to make everyone laugh"

Arthur remembered, "Yes he does sometimes when he is being a sober idiot after a few days in the tavern….or when he is in a daze"

 _She is in a bit of a daze…._

Arthur came back to the hotel room after greeting the general public, after being announced that the real King Arthur has come back he couldn't refuse not to come by and say hello after the entertainment of training he did with the other knights, and it left a social media message to the world so he hoped that it would reach Merlin. But there was an unexpected turn of events once he entered the hotel….the whole place was turned upside down. He wondered what the hell happened, but it can only be one person.

"Maree!" He called out, but no answer, "Maree!" He called out again, but still no answer so he went into her room and called out her name again, still no answer so he stamped his foot against the floor which made vibrations. She flinched and got straight up, "Whatwhatwhatwhatwhat what?" She sputtered, "Arthur?"

He glared at her a bit, "What. Happened"

She couldn't hear anything so she had to read his lips, "Huh?"

"What happened?" He asked again and she looked around to notice, "What the….?"

"Exactly"

"I have no explanation for this…it can only be magic. I was sleeping the whole time" She got up on her feet and wiggled her head, her hearing then went back to normal. "Magic? That is the worst excuse I have ever heard"

"Well it's the only thing I can think of, tonight when we go to bed and you hear anything instead of any pigs, go check it out to see if I'm right"

"Okay- hold on, pigs?"

"Yes, you snore. I thought when we were sleeping on the flight that a pig had somehow came into the plane as well as everyone else"

"I do not snore!"

"Then why did everyone seem to grin and giggle around you the next day?"

Arthur was a bit dumbfounded, "I thought they thought I looked handsome or something…"

"No, it was your snoring"

Arthur then shook his head, "Have you eaten?"

"Yes, I had something before I took a nap"

"Good, then I want to go with you to see to that hotel room that Merlin lived in" He then goes to change in his modern clothes. "Okay, we still have to find a lead on where Merlin is" Maree agreed with his thoughts.

After he got changed they went ahead and Maree took him to the hotel room Merlin stayed in, once they got in, Maree immediately covered her nose with the neckerchief and cleaned the cupboard up before going back to Arthur, however he was standing there in place looking at something and she looked to see what it was that he was looking at. It was Merlin, standing there as she saw him before.

They stared at each other and then Merlin proceeded to walk around the room to look through the window, and then he disappeared into thin air.

 _"Follow the guide Arthur"_


	8. Chapter 8 - Arthur's Guide

"Did you see that?" Arthur asked her as they have dinner that night.

"Yes, I did. It was like how I saw him earlier, it was like a clear message that was left behind", Arthur agreed, "Who might be the guide that he spoke of?"

Then for a second Maree's eyes flashed gold and Arthur halted to notice, "What was that?"

"What?"

"Did you cast a spell?"

"No, why?"

"Your eyes just flashed gold"

"That's weird, I didn't do anything"

Arthur thought for a moment, "I was wondering who the guide is" And he saw her eyes flash gold again. "Aha!"

Maree had no idea what he is doing, "What?"

"When I asked who the guide that Merlin spoke of, your eyes flashed gold"

They flashed again, "See? This tells us something, you are the guide"

Maree rolled her eyes, "I have been your guide ever since I found you"

"Of course, but the thing is that you probably don't know where he is"

"Yes, I don't" But then something came to her mind, "Hold on, if my magic is responding to you then it might be my magic that is your guide"

"Good thought, it responded to my word then maybe it'll answer me if I ask it a question. Like where Merlin is" Arthur smiled, "Now where is Merlin?"

Maree's eyes flashed gold and Arthur flinched a bit and his head turned to the side in silence, "What? Did you get anything?" Maree asked.

"He's in Camelot right now, not only that your magic seems to be a navigator to track exactly where Merlin is"

"Good, it's exactly what we need. We can check it again tomorrow morning to see where is and head for that location to find him"

Arthur gasped and sighed in huge relief, "Thank god…."

"Whoa, are you okay?"

"I am so glad that he is alright…." He had both hands on his face, "I can't think to imagine what it must be like for him to live for such a long time without me, without Camelot. I think about how lonely he might be"

"I think about that too, because of the vision we saw"

"Yes, he had loneliness in his eyes. Other people have seen it too and that's why we have to find him as soon as possible, he's my friend, I don't want to leave him alone"

Maree smiled at him, "We will find him, don't you worry and I'm sure that he will be super happy to see you once we do"

"I have no doubts that he will"

That night after they went to bed, Arthur heard clattering in Maree's room so he went to investigate if what she said was true and after he opened her door slightly, he took a peek to discover that it was true so he went in and put the objects that were hovering in mid-air down on the bench beside her. But he then noticed that one of the objects was a book, he read _"Legend of Arthur and Merlin"_ and was tempted to start reading. So he sat down onto a nearby chair and started reading.

Soon he didn't notice that he had fallen asleep and in the morning when Maree woke up, she found a sleeping Arthur on a chair beside her and no items clattered on the ground. She checked if he was cold and he was so she thought that he must have come in at the middle of the night but figured it out when she found the Arthur and Merlin book in his lap.

So she got a blanket to cover him with and warm him up a little bit with a spell but didn't leave him at all, she knew that she needed to look after Arthur in Merlin's place, she is his guide after all. She sat down on her bed and watched over him until he work up.

"Uuuugh….." He groaned and blinked, "Did I fall asleep?"

"You did" Maree answered him and then Arthur blinked when he saw her, she was no longer having her hair in a ponytail, her hair was down, thick and curly. For once, she actually looked like a girl, it looked like a dramatic surprise to him.

"Maree is that you….?"

"Of course it is"

He stared at her, "You look beautiful….." He commented and she pouted, "Thanks, everyone says that however I don't like the fact that I'm attractive"

"Why? You should stay that way. It's a waste"

"When I look like this, I'm a guy magnet. I can't stand being stared at, and by the way, I am not easily attracted by guys so I'd rather be myself. But to be honest, you don't look bad yourself"

Arthur grinned at her and she pouted again, "It doesn't mean I am attracted to _you_ Arthur! It's not about the looks, I like to see into people's souls"

"I understand what you mean"

Maree tries to avoid the subject, "Now, we should get dressed, we have a plane to catch!" She gets him out of the chair and back into his room and she goes back to hers to change.

When they got on the plane, Arthur got easily bored with the limited amount of entertainment so he looked at Maree for anything good. She was working on her laptop that he had recently learned about and became curious on how the thing worked so Maree gave him an entire lesson on how it works and how to use it to fill his head with useful information that he may need in the future. As soon she went back to working, he watched what she was doing until they became pretty bored.

"Why don't we play some games?" Arthur decided, "Some new ones that I have never heard before"

"Okay" Maree thought that this is going to be interesting, "What about truth or dare?"

"What is that?"

"You have to first decide if you want a truth or dare and I make up one for you, so if I ask you a question about a certain truth or make you do something such as a dare, you must do or answer it without fail"

"Alright, fair enough" Arthur agreed to the game, "I would like a dare please" He said preparing himself and Maree gives it some thought.

"Hmm…I dare you not to think about penguins"

Arthur didn't know the point of that dare, but he couldn't stop thinking about penguins once she told him not to. "Gah, I failed…that is mind boggling"

Maree laughed, "My turn, I want a dare as well"

Arthur gave it some thought since it was his first time so he wanted to make it a good one, "The next time that we duel, fight me with a sword"

"You have my word"

 _That was kind of expected from him…._

They went ahead and Arthur made some pretty good dares that Maree really disliked so she became pretty pouty about it and dared him to try and beat her in Uno, as expected Arthur was clever than she thought he might be and they went at it for hours on end trying to beat each other. They glad they did otherwise they would be bored, before they went to sleep, Arthur dared her to lend her shoulder for a pillow which made her bush. "I don't want a literally handsome King sleeping on my shoulder! That's irresistible!" She claimed and Arthur grinned at her, "I knew it, you like me"

"No I do _not_!"

But she had no choice and it was hard to sleep that night because of his shampoo in his hair, it was attracting her nose. She was definitely going to hit him for that the next day.

They arrived in Albion swiftly the next day and Maree was still half angry for all of Arthur's dares, she knew that he was having fun because she had him tell a truth and he spoke that he wished in the past that he wanted to roam freely and not be a king. Now that he is, he is freely being himself a lot more.

They ran all the way to Camelot, knowing in their minds that they are finally going to find Merlin, they didn't split up this time, they searched the castle carefully until they reached Gaius room.

"Merlin!" Arthur called out once they both went in but found nothing but then they found Merlin standing there looking at them. But they froze, it wasn't the real Merlin, it was another vision and all of a sudden a bright light emerged around them.


	9. Chapter 9 - Reunion

The room suddenly went back in time. The entire room suddenly had been filled with books, herbs and potions, it was back into its original state, Arthur remembered this but that wasn't all, there was Gaius and…Merlin….

Arthur wanted to approach him right away but Maree stopped him, "Arthur, were in a dimension of the past. They won't be able to see or hear us" She steadied him and he kept his calm, nodding his head, they watched.

Gaius sat on a chair next to a table in silence, for a moment they wondered how far back in time they went until the front door opened to a very upset Merlin. Arthur was struck by the tears rolling down his face as he tried to hold them back, and they figured out how back they went, it was after Arthur's death.

Gaius immediately went to Merlin's side and hugged him as he sobbed, "My boy!" Gaius exclaimed, "I heard what happened, I am so sorry….."

"Gaius…" Merlin choked, "I failed him….I failed my destiny….and Arthur…."

"You couldn't do anything Merlin, don't blame yourself" As Gaius held Merlin tightly, he uncontrollably cried.

Soon Merlin was called to meet the Queen, Arthur and Maree followed Merlin and when they arrived, Gwenivere gave Merlin a hug.

"I am so sorry Merlin" She said, "He may be gone but he will always be in our hearts"

Merlin nodded, smiling a bit. "We are going to have a memorial for him tomorrow. I am sure that will make you feel a bit better" Merlin nodded again, "I'm sure that he will be happy for us to do that" He said before breaking the hug.

"Also, I have other matters that I wish to discuss with you"

Merlin took a deep breath to calm down from all of the crying.

"Gaius told me about you, but I have suspected it for a long time. Now I don't want to do you any harm"

Merlin knew what was coming next, and he didn't know how to react.

"I want to thank you for protecting Arthur. Even if you do have magic"

Merlin wanted to smile and thank her back but he stood there frozen, "Gaius told you that I have magic?"

"Not exactly but I only had to fit in the pieces and it brought me to that conclusion"

"Look Gwenivere, I am not responsible for Arthur's death. I would never hurt him I any way, I only use magic to protect him and Camelot"

"I know, and I would like to hear everything from your side of the story. Please sit down and tell me everything"

Arthur's mouth gaped a bit when he saw this, Merlin happily told his story to Gwen and then after that the scene changed and they were in the court seeing that Gwen lifted the ban on magic and making Merlin count Sorcerer, Arthur was proud of his friend and Camelot was finally in peace.

But over time, things started to change. Gaius passed away, then Arthur's best knights soon died in battle, Gwen however had a son who she named after Arthur and he took over after Gwen died. As Merlin stood there in front of them, he watched everything change bit after bit until Camelot was empty and nothing remained.

Merlin sighed deeply but looked back at his memories, turning around and left Camelot's keys near the gate.

"I'll be your servant until the day your die Arthur" He said before he left.

But he always came back once a week to clean up Arthurs chambers.

Arthur stood there silently, he was very quiet when he watched Merlin standing there all alone and then the dimension disappeared, they returned back to Gaius room all empty and back to the present day.

It was dark so the first thing that popped into Maree's mind was to get some fire wood and make a fire but Arthurs silence took her attention first. He sat down on a nearby chair and went deep into thought.

"Arthur, are you okay?"

Arthur nodded his head and sighed. Maree went ahead and went to get some firewood, when she came back, she put a fire together and kept close so she could keep warm. Arthur was still quiet, so she decided to sit next to him and share a blanket to keep warm. "He had left a memory behind didn't he?"

Arthur nodded. "I am sure that he has much more to tell"

"He has lived for such a long time so I think he has had a life full of adventure"

Arthur smiled, "I would love to hear it all, I am just a little shocked by the memory" He takes a deep breath and Maree gave him a pat on the back, "He comes here once a week, if we stay here then we may find him. It's better than searching the whole world for him"

"Yeah" Arthur agreed, "I'll take the bed in Merlin's room, you take the one here. At least they left them behind"

"Merlin comes here once in a while, maybe he sleeps here so he keeps a few beds"

"Where is he now at the moment?" He asked, Maree's eyes flashed gold and he nodded, "The Lake of Albion, since it's late, let's wait for him and get some sleep"

"Goodnight then Arthur, have a nice sleep"

In the middle of the night Maree was woken by a powerful surge of magic, she noticed that the fire had been out for a while now but that powerful energy isn't coming from Arthur, it was coming from the castle somewhere and she had an idea who. Letting Arthur have his beauty rest she went outside by herself and followed the energy, she detected a light going ahead through one of the castle windows and decided to go after it. Hurrying her pace, she wanted to reach him but then the light stopped.

He knew she was there.

Running up the castle stairs, she went through halls and followed the light quickly as she could and then she found a dead end, a door without a lock, squeezed shut. But the energy was right on the other side, so she decided to give it a yell.

"Hey! Anyone on the other side of this?! The door is shut!" She yelled but no one answered, so she tried magic to open the door and it successfully opened with force.

On the other side of the door…..stood a man, raven black hair and blue eyes.

"Merlin!" She gasped happily.

"How do you know me?" The man asked, standing there dumbfounded, "And you have magic"

"Merlin, I have Arthur with me. He's alive"

Blood drained from his face, "ARTHUR?!"

"Yes Merlin, we have no time to lose. Come with me and I'll show you the way!"

"Where is _he_?!" Merlin asked as Maree took his hand and ran, his face is in shock mode.

"Gaius's chambers" Maree answered and once he heard that, his legs sped down at high speed, leaving Maree slow and vulnerable to catch up with him but when she arrived at the chambers, Merlin had already opened the door to his room where he finds Arthur sleeping peacefully in his bed. He squatted down next to his sleeping face, "Arthur….?" He gasped, after thousands of years he was reunited with his master and he smiled at him, letting a few tears roll down his cheeks.

"Merlin…" Arthur groaned in his sleep, "Go to sleep already"

Merlin chuckled, "I'm here Arthur, come on, this place is cold, let's get you to your chambers"

"I'll help out" Maree offered.

"No, I am his man servant and I am responsible for him" He declined her offer and carries him out of Gaius's chambers, but Maree follows. Merlin takes him to Arthur's chambers and tucks him into his own bed where he used to sleep back in Camelot.

"Did you protect the kingdom?" Maree asked and Merlin nodded, "Yes, it protected it with my life"

"I found Arthur near the lake almost a week ago, since then we have been trying to find you" Maree explained.

"Where did you go?"

"We came here first and then we went to Kryle Castle where I got some visions, I got another one here two, with the keys at the front gate and at Gaius chambers"

"You got visions?"

"Yes, in certain places that I touched. Were they literally put there?"

"No, you have a gift. I never left anything behind, because I couldn't do any magic"

"Well, you did leave some things behind" Maree gets out his magic book from her bag and his shirt, he chuckled once he saw them. "I thought I lost these" She gives them to him and he happily receives them.

"I have another question"

"Yes?"

"I happen to be Arthur's guide. Do you know why and do you know anything about that?"

"Guide? Then…if you are seeing visions then it must be magic that is guiding you and Arthur to me"

"That explains it" Maree settled as Merlin finished tucking in Arthur and gets two chairs for them to sit down next to Arthur. "I have never seen anyone with magic for over thousands of years. Everything is gone and magic is just a myth"

"It's sad…Arthur has been a bit quiet"

"Has he?"

"Yes, after we saw a vision it showed your pain after the events of his death"

"You saw….what exactly?" He asked, he gulped with a bad feeling.

"You…crying" Maree looked up to him with a smug look on her face and he went a pink in the face. "But when he was with me, he has noticed some things from my magic"

"Like what? He is going to kill me"

"Using magic to do all the laundry, pulling down his pants, etc. I can tell because he has that look on his face that you have done something similar before, it was an interesting look that made me curious at first but then I figured it out, correct me if I am wrong"

He sighed again, sulking. "He is definitely going to kill me in the morning"

"Don't worry, he was alright with me. I think he will be okay with you"

"Thanks, I think" Merlin had doubts.

They were silent for a while before Merlin stood up, "Well, I will have to open the basement up tomorrow for Arthur"

"Why?"

"Though the Castle may be dark and unused, I have kept everything down below all this time. I couldn't let it all rot away"

"So everything isn't gone, history is still kept. The armoury? Crowns? Clothes?"

"All of it, including the round table. Trust me, it wasn't easy" He goes up to the door, "Look after Arthur will you? For me?"

"I want to come with you, I don't think Arthur is going anywhere" Maree was curious enough. "Besides, I want to help"

"Okay, you can come and help but don't touch anything valuable"

"Okay!"


	10. Chapter 10 - Kilgharrah's recarination

Hi guys, sorry for the late update. I had been at a house with no wifi and a very old computer with XP on it. So I had to downgrade to wordpad, playing sims 1 and roller coaster tycoon which can't load saved games. It sucks.

But now I'm back with my good PC, I usually write on my laptop which is at the repairs. Anyways, thank you for the comments and reviews, they have been so helpful. I do have a twist coming soon!

The next morning Merlin wasted no time to cook some breakfast for Arthur, there are no catering anymore so he spent the time going out to buy some food before cooking. With all the rattling and the smell, Maree was easily woken.

"Meeerrlin..." She rubbed her eyes after going into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes she was still a bit tired. "What are you doing so early in the morning?"

Merlin spun around to see her, "Sorry, did I wake you?" he asked, still cooking with his hands, not using any magic. "No, the smell did. What the heck are you cooking? It's so professional..."

"Well, its-"

"Don't tell me. I smelt some...bacon...eggs...tomato...mushroom..toast...but it's really good and strong, are you cooking first class?"

"You can tell all that?" Merlin was surprised. "I have been this way since I was born. My hearing is bad so my eyes replace them and my eye view is better than everyone else, and then my nose replaces my sense of hearing. I can't hear where things are coming from but I can smell where things are coming from"

"Then how can you hear me now?"

"I read lips, and sometimes I can hear good enough to know what you're saying. Either way, magic seems to recover it now"

"Magic fixes a lot of things. I haven't got your name"

"Maree. Now when did you start cooking all that good?"

"I have all the time in the world" He chuckled, "Anything to keep me from getting bored, I'll try anything and everything and the world is interesting day by day"

"Huh. Because Arthur once told me that everything in this world is quite weird for his taste"

"No wonder you guys went to Cryle Castle then, they still have armoury and weapons for swords. A great place for Arthur to make him feel like he is at home again"

"He said that it was too uh, Merlin...ish. Like it all came out of your mind"

"Well, I can't blame him. I did so some things to this world. But I have been an old man for a very long time now, and with magic back, it is great to be back in my young body" He chuckled. "It is time to serve Arthur again, though I am going to regret keeping the weapons alive, he is going to beat me up good"

"Then you're lucky that with me around, he won't be doing that"

"What? Oh nono, I am his manservant and I am the only one to serve him no matter what"

"Unfortunately he dared me to, so I cannot back on my word"

"What- you taught him truth or dare?"

"He was very unpleasant at it too, he's a prat. And a royal one"

They laughed for a bit until Merlin froze, his eyes directed at someone standing behind Maree, she got a bad feeling. "He's standing behind me isn't he?"

Merlin nodded slowly and awkwardly, Maree turned around to see Arthur in his clothes with a bedhead. "Hello Arthur, are you feeling alright?" Merlin asked.  
Arthur looked stern after hearing their conversation, but then his face went into a nice smile. "Hello Merlin, it's good to be back. And it's good to have you back too"

Merlin smiled back, already at the verge of tears. "It's good to see you...Arthur" He said, and Arthur went over to his friend to give him a warm hug. "I'm sorry Merlin"

Merlin chuckled softly, "You don't need to apologise" He said, sniffling.

"Come on Merlin, don't cry. Remember what I said"

"Arthur, you are worth crying for. You are my friend"

"Well, I do have some things to say" He let go of his friend and looked at him in the eye.

"Thank you for looking after Camelot for me even though it is dark and run down"

"Thank you for cleaning my chambers"

"Washing my clothes daily"

"Looking after the armoury, though everything is cleaned out. I'm sure that you have kept it safe somewhere. Including any precious things such as my crown and belongings"

"Polishing my boots"

"Cleaning the stables, though there are no horses"

"And looking after everyone when I was away. I heard Gwenivere made a great Queen. Merlin, thank you"

Merlin wiped his tears away with a smile, "It was all for you Arthur. I could never forget you"

"However, it has come to my mind that you have used magic behind my back. I am sure that you will soon list every little thing that you have done later"

Merlin cringed.

"Is that for me Merlin?" Arthur pointed at the cooking on the kitchen bench and stove. "Yes" Merlin nodded, "Someone has to cook breakfast for you. We can't have a starving king can't we?"

"Good point, I didn't know you ever cooked"

"I taught myself after Gaius passed away, I had to look after myself"

"Oh, I am sorry about Gaius. Did he pass away peacefully?"

"He did, he was a happy man. I do sometimes miss his bad cooking. He was the one to keep everyone company after you passed away"

"I am thankful for him, he was a loyal person to my father and to me, a great physician"

"He was, but I still remember his teachings and I use his remedies to use as medicine today. I have a place not too far away, I live there and I grow plants to use as herbs and I keep a lot of history back there. It would be useful if you read them to understand the world today and what has happened since you were gone"

"I would like to hear exactly what has been happening here to make the world it is today, things have been freaking me out. Like the aeroplanes and television sets. Where are the swords?"

"Things have advanced Arthur, no one uses swords anymore"

"Not everyone, everyone at Cryle castle still have their things. They recognised me right away"

"That because I worked there and I told children stories about you. Then after that they built a Camelot area to show people about your legend"

"So whenever you supported me and told me that I will become a great king, you didn't lie"

"No, because I believed in you" Merlin said, serving his breakfast and gets a plate for Maree and himself before they sit at the kitchen table.

"This smells good Merlin" Arthur takes a sniff, "Now, that reminds me. Did you steal my drumstick and my sausages?"

There was a long pause, "Yes"

"Why?"

"That is personal Arthur, I was in love at that time"

Arthur's brows furrowed, "With Gwen?"

"No!" he chuckled, "Why does everyone think that?"

"Well, that is good to know. Just tell me, I trust you. Since that you told me about your magic, tell me everything else"

Merlin took a long sigh. "Remember that druid girl that escaped from that hunter? The one with the curse?"

"Yes, I remember her. She disappeared, I wondered what came of her"

"Well...about her, I was the one who helped her escape"

"Merlin!"

"And I hid her. But she was very hungry, so I replaced your breakfast of cheese, ham and bread with scraps and the next day, your sausages and drumstick"

Arthur gave him a look.

"Other than that I had lost track of the number of times that I have saved your life"

"Have you?"

"Whenever it was said that Gaius healed you, it was me, saving your life using magic"  
"So that light I saw when I tried to get that flower after you got poisoned was you?"

"Yes, I didn't notice it was me though. I was asleep"

"And when I was almost dying once? What did Gaius give me?"

"I went to the valley of the fallen kings, I saw Numeih there and she gave me water from the cup of life to save you"

"You did not! The cup of life? Merlin! That was a powerful thing!"

"I saved your life with my magic once, or...more than once. I have lost count"

"You really are a wonder Merlin, how long does this list go?"

"From your waist to your feet I guess" Maree joked and Arthur looked at her, then he looked back at Merlin. "Merlin, if you have anything to do with pulling my pants down during that meeting-"

"I'm sorry sire, I did. I needed that key" Merlin admitted. "Talking about keys...that jangling sound...was you?"

"Yes" Merlin looked away, advoiding his glare. "Did you use magic to make my bath boil?" Arthur asked.

"Yes"

"You cheated"

"Yes, thank you for reminding me"

"What about that magical beast after we met Lancelot? I thought Gaius said that magic can only be destroyed with magic"

"That was me"

"Then I would imagine that the great dragon that escaped was your doing?"

"His name is Kilgharrah, he had me promise him that I'd free him. I had no idea that he would attack Camelot, I specifically told him not to"

Arthur wasn't surprised, "Then I presume that I didn't drive him away?"

Merlin put his lips together and shook his head, "That man...Balinor...was my Father. Abilities of a Dragon lord is passed down from Father to son, after Kilgharrah attacked you I spoke to him"

"Balinor? That Dragon lord Balinor?"

"Yes. I told Kilgharrah to stay away from Camelot, and that if he ever attacked you or Camelot again, I will kill him"

Arthur looked at him, "But he is long gone, the last time I saw him was shortly after you died. He was old and he was a guide, he helped me whenever I was stuck or was in trouble, I went to him"

"Other than that, I took that last dragon egg"

"Merlin!"

"I just regretted the fact that it chose Morgana"

"So that's how she got that dragon! Did it have a name?"

"Yes, I named it Aithusa, after the sun"

"Beautiful name for a white dragon"

"I agree so. She was beautiful when she came out of that egg"

Maree smiled at Merlin as she finished her breakfast as Merlin and Arthur ate the rest of theirs after all that talking.

"When did you meet Maree here?" Merlin asked, "When I first opened my eyes, she was the first thing I saw"

"I found him next to the lake all soaked" Maree said, "I recognised him right away and took him to my place, he slept for a few days before waking up"

"You did? Thank you"

"By the way, about that, do you know where my sword is?"

"Excalibur?" Maree guessed and Merlin looked at her, "Have you seen it?"

Maree shook her head and Merlin's eyes jerked wide, "I haven't seen it either. It must still be in the lake"

"Why is it in the lake?" Arthur asked. "Because I threw it in there for the keeper of the lake, she must still have it"

"Well that question has been answered, I still have my chainmail and my armour"

"Shall I take you to all of the belongings that I have kept?" Merlin suggested.

"Yes, I want to see what you have kept" Arthur got up and let Merlin guide them with light to guide them, they went down to the basement but was locked so Merlin used magic to unlock the steel like door. "Why are we going down there?" Arthur asked.

"It's where I keep everything, though it's a cave down there I made into a storage cave. It has a fair amount of magic in there so I used it to keep everything in excellent condition. We couldn't have them rot away"

"Yeah it does have magic down there...I can feel it but it's giving me chills" Maree said. "Why?" Merlin asked.

"Because it feels so familiar...I felt it before yesterday, I thought I was imagining things but now it's really bugging me" Maree's brows were furrowed and curiosity was printed all over her face.

"Well, it's where the great dragon was imprisoned" Arthur said.

"But even if magic feels all the same, this one is different. And I can't explain the reason why it is familiar...it's a weird feeling" And then she looked at Merlin, "As if someone is there...a presence...and it's a little similar to yours"

Merlin looked at her and then looked back at the cave, "I'll keep that in mind, let's keep going for now"

They went down a long pair of stairs carefully to not fall off and on the rocky ground which was replaced with a flat surface of concreate, the whole area was full of cupboards and storage boxes, all organised it groups.

"I put them into groups, your belongings are over here" Merlin leads Arthur on to the biggest group of carefully organised boxes and furniture. "Here"

Straight away, Arthur went to inspect his belongings, finding all his clothes and then one very delicate box that contained his crowns when he was a prince and the other when he became king, he sighed of relief. "You kept these very well Merlin"

"I kept the clothes, furniture, crowns, everyone's belongings, books, everything"

"Is it possible that we can get all of these things and put them all into their original position?" Arthur asked and Merlin turned his head, "Why?"

"If possible, I would like to restore Camelot"


	11. Chapter 11 - Catching up

"You mean, make Camelot a living kingdom again?" Merlin asked.

"Yes, now tell me, is that possible?"

Merlin and Maree looked at each other and the back at Arthur, "Yes, however you're not king anymore Arthur" Merlin said, "You see, there is a Queen of England that rules over this entire land. If you want to be King again, you're going to have approval for Albion"

"I am the legendary King Arthur, of course she would approve. Besides, I want to get Camelot up and running again"

Maree then looked at Merlin, "The Druid prophecy does say that when Albion's needs are at its greatest, he will rise again. Then if that is so, we will be needing Camelot"

Merlin furrowed at her, "How did you hear of that at this time in the present?"

"I don't know, I just do" Maree shrugged.

"Druid prophecy?" Arthur wondered and Merlin lifted his head to explain, "There was a prophecy that the druids knew of thousands of years before we were born, they said of a once and future king that will bring magic back to Albion, alongside him will be Emrys the most powerful warlock ever to walk this earth"

"And that's you Merlin!" Maree smiled and Arthur pointed at himself, "I am the once and future king?" he asked and Merlin nodded. "Did you know of this?" He asked again.

"No, not until Gaius told me"

Arthur replied with an "oh", "Then if I am really am that king, and Albion needs me, what are waiting for? Let's move" He goes and grabs a few things to get ready. Merlin goes ahead and does the same, they start with the same group, one group at the time. They all used their bare hands until Arthur stopped, "Merlin…..why don't you use your magic? It's obviously much easier"

Merlin got confused, "You're asking me to use magic?" and Arthur nodded, "It's not like it's banned since that I am standing here. Maree has been using it in front of me, floating laundry and all, even in her sleep"

Merlin turned to her, "Floating laundry? And even in your sleep?" He had the thought of "warlock" in his mind, he could be looking right at his own kind. Then he confirmed the familiar things:

1\. This cave where kilgharrah lived feels familiar for her

2\. She can feel magic

3\. She can lift things with control like he can

"Yes, usually my room ends up as a mess the next day" Maree said, beginning to effortlessly lift the things that she carried from her hands.

Merlin went into real suspicion. Then came with a simple question, who is Maree?

"What is it Merlin? Something on your mind?" Arthur asked as Merlin wandered off, he came back to reality, "Nothing Arthur, everything is alright. Let's go" Merlin took a nervous gulp before using his own magic to lift the things that he had in hand, he took some more extra stuff with him since he can carry some more.

With effort, they got the items and furniture up to Arthur's chambers and placed everything back into its original place, it wasn't long until Arthur got puffed out because of the damn stairs that they have to climb up.

"Merlin, couldn't you have created an _easier_ way to get to the entrance?" Arthur puffed.

"Because even if the lock got broken, I didn't want anyone to discover this place, so the stairs stay" He explained. "Why don't you stay at the rooms and put the things in place while Maree and I get the things.

"Good idea Merlin" He goes back while Maree and Merlin continue on with the next group of things. When Arthur finally left the cave, this made Merlin an opportunity to test Maree.

"So Maree, were you born with magic?" Merlin started to try and get some information off her.

"I don't know, since it has been dead for ages. But I have always been able to feel magic, I just couldn't use it"

"Feel it? Where exactly?"

"Like, the strongest one was the lake of Albion before I found Arthur, and here. They all feel different"

Merlin twitched a bit at the sound of the lake being spoken about. "So you're a warlock like me, you're able to control it well"

"Heh? I studied magic since I was 18, I am 19 now. To be able to control it well now so quickly pretty much explains it" But then she blushed, "But thinking about it….it's kinda embarrassing….how can I be your own kin? I never had any parents"

Then Merlin turned his head at her after a smile, "You have no parents?"

She shook her head, "No, it's a mystery"

"Could you be regenerated from someone?" Merlin went into shock for a couple of seconds but calmed because he doesn't know anyone else that was a warlock, except for…Mordred. He gulped.

"Who knows?" She said, and then she noticed the whiteness in merlin's face, "What? What's wrong? Do you know me?" And she studied his face, "Oh, I am not going to like it am I?" Her face went white too before Merlin took a gulp, "I am not sure yet. I still need more information"

"Then what about this cave that feels familiar?" She suggested and that took Merlin's mind off the Mordred subject. "Yes, we will have to look into that" He calmed, convincing himself that she may not be him after all.

"And to add, I am Arthur's guide. So whoever you are thinking about, I am not him okay?"

And Merlin nodded to that. "Well, other than that. Nice to meet you Maree, fellow Warlock"

And they both smiled at each other, they proceeded onto moving everything and it was night when they decided to take a break.

"Well, at least we got almost half the castle covered" Merlin was now tired and puffed out along with everyone else as they sat at a table in the kitchens. "We used enough magic already"

"Good job Merlin. Without your magic, this would have been extremely difficult. How did you manage to do all of this by yourself?"

"Well, it took me almost a month to get all of this stuff in the cave" Merlin painted. "I didn't have any magic, had to use my bare hands myself"

"You have got guts Merlin"

"Like I said, it wasn't easy"

When he said that, Maree was sound asleep on the table. And they sighed. "So, Arthur. I have a subject to discuss with you"

"Yes?"

"Maree is a regeneration of someone it seems. She is a warlock like I am"

"I can see that, she has good control over it like I presume that you also have"

"But she has no parents, not even born from one"

Arthur raised an eyebrow, "That is strange" Then he stopped, "You are not saying that she might be Mordred?"

Merlin shook his head, "The cave feels familiar, and she is your guide by magic. It doesn't ring a bell at all"

"Well, it doesn't ring mine either. If she is a regeneration, it must be someone we know"

Then they went into thought, "What about your dragon lord part Merlin?" Arthur suggested and that fired up Merlin's mind, "Arthur! That makes complete sense!"

"What? Who is she?!"

"She is the great dragon, Kilgharrah"


	12. Chapter 12 - Teaching Maree

"The great dragon? Merlin, can we really trust him?"  
"Of course we can, I knew Kilgharrah after I first set foot into Camelot. He has helped me when I came to him"  
"Well, he is now in a girl's body-"  
"Wait, what… he's a girl?" Merlin sputtered and he looked at her again, "I thought he was a guy!"  
"I didn't notice at first either Merlin, now wipe off that ridiculous look on your face"  
Merlin listened and bites the ends of his cheeks.  
"Well it pretty much clearly explains who she is, we just have to know if she is on our side or not"  
"I think she has already convinced you" And Arthur gave him a look, "She retrieved you from the lake, and helped you find me. She must have shown some loyalty and kindness to you"  
"You are right Merlin. She is our guide"  
"She pretty much follows us like a little bird and listens to our every word, and helps because she wants to. To top that, she dresses in a way…..that I used to, it feels freaky"  
"And her eyes….", "Hmm?"  
"Her eyes look like yours"  
This made Merlin blush pink in the cheeks, enough for Arthur to notice and tease him for it. "But Merlin, you dress in a completely ridiculous way, I can't stop glancing at you just once just….what have you done to your hair?"  
"Its oil, I have to look modern these days. I've had to change my name multiple times but never used any social media"  
"So that's why we couldn't find you on the World Wide Web, well, Maree already knew as she figured it out"  
"You already know about computers?"  
"She described it in a very clear way for me to understand, she had four square things on her desk along with three smaller ones. And there was a huge one in the middle of a bigger room that had people in it…..it scared the heck out of me"  
Merlin let out a good laugh and Arthur grabbed a spoon to hit him on the head with to shut him up. "OW!" He rubbed his head, "That's the second time you've done that….it seriously hurts!"  
"That's what you get for laughing Merlin"  
"It's not as worse as your-"  
He shut up for proceeding to spill the extra words.  
"Worse as what?"  
"Your Father going bald…..?"  
Arthur hit him with the spoon again. "OW!"  
"I told you not to laugh Merlin" Arthur crossed his arms, "Well be grateful that we didn't" Merlin rubbed his head and then Maree woke up, "What's going on….?"  
"Sorry, did we wake you?" Arthur said and Merlin glanced at him.  
"A bit, I was only taking a nap. I just felt vibrations. But don't worry about it now, other than that, we should start making dinner"  
"Right" Merlin gets up and starts preparing dinner. "So, we found out who you are" Arthur said, taking his attention to Maree.  
"Who am I? Please, I don't want to be Mordred" She gulped but Arthur was clam, "You're the great dragon Kilgharrah"  
She was surprised, "Oh! That explains it. But that's obvious isn't it?"  
"It seems so now" Arthur agreed. "It wasn't so before" he said as he glanced at Merlin for being a dumb idiot.  
"It comes to my conclusion that Merlin will have to teach you how to control your magic"  
"ME?!" Merlin was shocked, he never thought that Arthur of all people would ask him to teach magic. Almost dropping a pot, he stumbled, "Sorry, too used to keeping magic a secret, it still makes me nervous"  
"Merlin…" Arthur takes in a deep breath, "I don't know what it is like to be to keep their magic hidden, especially from me all this time. But I don't consider you evil and dangerous, so please take your time to open up to me, because you are my friend"  
Merlin breathed.  
"It must have been extremely difficult to keep such a secret from me and my Father"  
"It was, you have no idea how happy I am for you to accept my magic"  
Arthur smiled, "Now Merlin, will you please light us a fire please?"  
"Of course sire"  
"Merlin. Call me Arthur"  
"Yes Arthur" Merlin went and gets some wood to make a fire. "So you'll be teaching her then?"  
"Yes! But what about you? Can you manage to do things by yourself?"  
"Of course, I am not as dumb like you Merlin. Besides, I think you'll make a good mentor, maybe Gaius clothes will look good on you"  
"Not in a million years Arthur" Merlin disliked the idea and Maree laughed, "But he isn't a physician"  
"But you have been studying haven't you Merlin? You are worthy to wear his clothes"  
"Gaius will just look down and laugh at me" Merlin scoffed. "Besides, I am not Gaius, I don't want to be looking attractive to Sidhe women" he groaned at the memory.  
"Sidhe? What are you talking about Merlin?"  
"Remember Grunhilda? She was Princess Elena's maid?"  
"Oh yes, she was a bit disturbing"  
"She was a pixie, with a long tongue a metre long and it was purple. She had a thing for Gaius"  
"Oh Merlin that is disgusting!"  
"She had infected princess Elena with a Sidhe, she wanted her to become a Sidhe Queen and I had to stop her"  
"That explains her behaviour, she suddenly became beautiful after all that marriage event. What happened to Grunhilda?"  
"I er….I destroyed her"  
"That explains another thing"  
Merlin sighed, "I have some things to show and tell you, since I am going to tell you everything. There will be no secrets between us"  
"Try me Merlin"  
Merlin goes off to get some things and soon comes back with some stuff, "Here Arthur, I hid magic book when I studied, Gaius gave it to me"  
"Then how did I never manage to find it?"  
"I never hid it well, it was luck. Even sometimes I had to hide it for a split second"  
"Then what is this….stick? Hold on, isn't his what Sophia had?"  
"Yes. Remember when you fell under her enchantment and tried to elope with her?"  
"Yes…I didn't hit you with a lump of wood, she tried to kill you for eternal life, you were drowning so I had to rescue you. She and her father were Sidhe, the staff I have here came from her Father, killed them both with it, and Grunhilda. She turned to dust"  
"Well, thank you for saving my life Merlin. Now where did you hide this staff?"  
"Under the floor under my bed, the safest place I know"  
Then Arthur had a wonder, "I have a question. Why did you recue me when I was supposed to go on my individual quest alone?"  
"Morgana put a bracelet on you that absorbed your energy. If it absorbed all of your energy, you would have died so I had to come save you"  
"Oh"  
"You would do the same for me. Besides, when we got separated by that wall, the fisher King was sitting in his chair. He told me that the quest was supposed to be for me with the actual prize"  
Arthur's mouth gaped, "I don't understand"  
"He gave me a vial of water from the lake of Albion. But you took his stand, and everyone believed that you achieved your quest"  
"I said to never speak of you helping me"  
"I didn't. But don't blame me, I didn't know it was for me. But it did help us when Camelot was under Morgana's reign so you'd better thank him"  
"Merlin. Shut up"  
"Oh, and I made Excalibur. It didn't belong to the first king of Camelot. I made that story up"  
"You made the story up and you made me believe it?"  
"I made the sword with Kilgharrah, it was forged in a dragon's breath"  
"So that's why you said that before I died, I thought you were babbling nonsense"  
"I wasn't, I made that sword especially for you and only for you Arthur"  
Arthur began to grasp everything that his friend had said and sighed, "Thank you for telling me all this Merlin. Last question"  
Merlin was all ears. "Did you had anything to do with the troll?"  
"Your father was under an enchantment Arthur, it had nothing to do with me. And when I had to find out how to spell, I had to ask Kilgharrah for help. And he laughed"  
Arthur then glanced at Maree, "Don't look at me!" She wanted no part in getting hit by him too.  
""I told him it wasn't funny. Anyways, it did work didn't it Arthur?"  
"It did. Thanks to you. Now, are you done? You should had made a fire and dinner by now"  
"I'll do that right away Arthur"  
"Oh and Merlin?"  
"Yes?"  
"OW!"  
"That's for keeping secrets and lying to me"  
Arthur hit him with a spoon for the last time, ...hopefully.


	13. Chapter 13 - Gaius's chambers

Another day passed and they managed to get everything in place, so Merlin set off to his house to grab his books and potions, also some plants to bring back to Gaius chambers. When he managed to get back there, he found Maree already reading, it was 6 am in the morning and she was reading.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm reading your magic book…?"

"I can see that. But why so early in the morning?"

"When I set my mind to something, I don't really stop so why stop now? It'll make things easier for you"

"Right. I brought some things over" He said, unloading some things and Maree gets right to helping Merlin. "What are theeese?" Maree was instantly interested in what he bought. "Just some potions, my books that I kept and all the volumes of history for Arthur, if he will read them"

"I go literally everywhere to find books like these!" She goes through them with excitement, "And some of them are huge….." She helps Merlin out and grabs some books, "Where should we put these?"

"In the shelves upstairs above us"

"Sure, let's do that first before deciding what to study" She goes upstairs, "Alphabetical or subject order?" She asked.

"Subject order would do great" Merlin grabs some books as well and puts them away. The wooden walkway against the wall was pretty squishy so Merlin had to get out in order for Maree to get out.

Merlin put away the potions on the potion shelves like Gaius would tend to organise them while Maree put all of the history volumes on one of the tables. She was surprised by the amount of volumes.

"50 volumes? There is no way Arthur will read all that" Maree said, in doubt as she looked at the mountain pile of books.

"Yeah, he will probably go straight to training instead"

"Why don't you give him a spell to give him all of that information instead of reading all that?"

"In my experience, it's not healthy. That's why I kept all these"

"Did you participate in any of the world wars Merlin?" Maree asked in curiosity.

"Yes I did, and it was awful so I didn't participate in World War II. I like the peace, not the war so I hid really well"

"Where?"

"In Albion, here, I thought it will be better looking after Camelot and making sure that it doesn't get destroyed by bombs or war. It would be terrible to see a sight like that"

"Definitely, that seems to be the better choice"

"Now I wonder…..what kind of dragon you would look like?" Merlin thought aloud, "I haven't seen Kilgharrah for centuries"

"I am not sure, but I think that you have a very good idea. You suppose that I can turn into one do you?"

Merlin had a bit of a wonder, "I do, but let's study first. Are you a fast learner?"

"Yeah, but I have a photographic memory, text is a little harder to stick to my mind"

"Alright, with some experience, and some fun. We can learn magic together" He stretches out his fingers and smiles with excitement.

Meanwhile, Arthur had awoken in bed with training on his mind. But he knows that Merlin has volumes of books for him to read, so he groaned with that weighing on his mind. He had been dreaming of reading history over and over again, waking up frequently throughout the night, it was irritating him so he got off his lazy butt and got dressed so he could go to Gaius chambers to read the bloody books and get over it already.

He walked down to the cambers casually when suddenly he approached the door, he heard chanting of "Onstyrian, onbregdan!" And the door suddenly slammed into him as it swiftly opened, knocking him to the ground.

"Arthur!" Merlin exclaimed, going over to Arthur's side. "Are you okay?"

"Ooooohhhh…." Maree felt the pain and winced. "That must have hurt"

"What the hell was that Merlin?"

"Sorry, I was teaching Maree. We did some tricks on doors. I didn't know you were there"

"I thought you said that you can see the path ahead"

"I can't see through things Arthur. And not so willingly, only when I choose to" Merlin examines the bruises on his cheeks.

"Well, that woke me up. I think I'd better thank you for that because I have been having weird dreams and my head was in a daze. Now it's wide awake"

Merlin helped him up onto his feet, "Do you feel alright? Need anything for the bruises?"

"I'll be just fine Merlin, thank you" He dusts himself off and then his eyes directly took him to the mountainous pile of history books. "Merlin…..please don't tell me that I have to read all that"

Merlin looked at the books, "Yup. That's them. Good luck with it, if you have any questions, just ask me"

"I will be needing that luck, because I think my head will just explode" Arthur then seated himself at the table and grabbed volume one to start reading.

Merlin shuts the door and proceeds on, "That was really strong, try not to think of much force next time okay?" He said to Maree.

"Sorry, too excited" Maree chuckled.

"Now let's try moving things around" Merlin said, directing his eyes to something across the room "Obrinde, cume mec" And the item comes directly towards Merlin, Arthur raised an eye and watched him direct it towards himself and finally grab it.

"Next time, ask me for the keys instead of stealing them" Arthur said, "Yes Arthur"

"And Maree, don't use spells for stealing. If he ever says that, don't listen to him because he's an idiot"

"Unless if it is entirely necessary" Merlin added and Arthur just glanced at him. "Stealing my keys was entirely necessary?"

"Then what would you want me to say if I tried to ask back then?" Merlin attacked Arthur with words and he refused to reply to that because he knew that Merlin just caught him with nothing else to say back. "Merlin. Shut up"

Merlin nodded with a grin and looked at Maree, "I get the point" Maree whispered to him.

"By the way Merlin. It is good to see you in your old clothes again"

"I feel happier to be back in them Arthur"

"So am I with my own"


	14. Chapter 14 - A mans word

Arthur shut his book and looked back at the pile next to him, "Two down, 48 to go…" He sighed. It was in the middle of the day and he had been asking Merlin millions of questions about the history he had been reading. As tiring as it was, his questions were answered and it encouraged him to read some more.

It was entertaining to watch merlin teach Maree how to use certain spells to heal, to attack and elemental spells. Maree even took Merlin back to her place, coming back with the books she found and a little chest that contained certain rocks and crystals. She seemed to be quite fond of them, but they're just rocks.

But Merlin was interested in them too, especially the ones that she collected when she grew up in Australia. Merlin asked if she had any from Ayers Rock in Uluru from Northern Territory but she didn't because whenever people did take rocks, they became cursed with bad luck.

"Good thing that you didn't take anything then"

"Yeah, I went to an agricultural centre nearby and there was a pile of rocks next to a stand of letters. Those letters were from people that took a rock from the place and told about the bad luck that they received and they sent them back. So those pile of rocks showed the amount of people that stole rocks from the place, it freaked me out so I told myself to not bring any souvenirs back home because I will get cursed"

"It is a very spiritual place. Also a place of magic"

"Yes, that reminds me, I always feel something when I go to those spiritual places such as Uluru"

"Yes, it's magic. It gives you a warm feeling in your chest doesn't it?"

"Yes it does"

"Did you ever study modern magic?"

"Modern magic? It's boring, all in English and it takes more than little words. It takes candles, talismans and drawn circles. The magic of the old religion is a lot more interesting"

Merlin laughed, "Yeah"

Arthur let out a very bored sigh, "Can we get to training already?"

Merlin turned to him, "Want to take a break from all that reading Arthur?"

Arthur nodded, "Ready my armor will you please? And have my sword sharpened too"

Before Merlin could leave the chambers, Arthur stopped him, "Hold on, grab two sets Merlin. One for Maree, find the best to fit her, if you can't find one, make one later after practice"

"For Maree?" Merlin thought he was joking, but hoping that at the same time he can actually evade being Arthur's practicing dummy this time.

"Yes, we had a deal"

"Ok" Merlin heads off to get some armor.

"Follow me" Arthur gets up and takes Maree to the training grounds where they meet Merlin with their swords armor and chainmail. Merlin swiftly put their armor on, and once Maree put on her helmet, she had to tie her hair back lower because it was irritating the way it was tied up higher.

"How can you possibly see through this?" She asked once she adjusted her helmet and put on her chainmail.

"That's the first question I asked myself" Merlin mumbled to himself.

"You get used it, your eyes adjust and then you don't even see the helmet at all" Arthur said, putting on his own armor.

"Oh yeah, I can see now"

Once they fitted themselves up they grabbed a sword, "Gee, this is light….I thought that it would be heavy"

"It depends on what sword you choose, they are all different"

"I thought so, I was trained to use a bow, and they're made of bamboo, not metal"

"Good luck" Merlin whispered to her, "He's really good"

Maree smiled at him as she was also given a shield and there was twice the weight on her. She adjusted the weight to her body and got ready.

"No magic allowed in this dual?" Maree asked.

"No" Arthur agreed. "It would be cheating"

"Good point"

Then Merlin called for the match to start, and they went head on with each other.

With the shield on Maree's left side, she used it to block Arthur's attacks whilst her right side would attack for an open spot meanwhile her sword would clash against Arthur's.

She knew that Arthur was bigger and broader than her, and heavier so she used her speed and agility to push him back and hopefully he would be trapped into a circle of attacks.

Arthur noticed that she hid her body well with that shield, not only her eyes were fixed on his own, but also on his body. So he had to get to her blind spot somewhere but her eyes were better than his to be able to see his body without even having to look at it. He waited for her stamina to run out but it didn't, no matter how hard she breathed, she kept going and he had to do something, one of his tricks to make an open blow before he runs out of breath. So he moved forward, his sword pushing her shield away from her body and his shield slams into her stomach, using his entire weight on her to make the blow.

Maree chuckled as she fell to the ground, "Smart Arthur, I knew you would have to use your weight, you're bigger than me. It's an advantage you have"

"That never came to mind, you're smart"

 _"So her weakness must be something to do with weight….but where? She's fast but is there a weakness in that? Hold on…..she has good footing but she doesn't use her wrists as much"_ Arthur thought.

Maree smiled as she was enjoying it as Arthur was and they clash again, but this time Arthur puts more strength and weight on his sword and slams against her sword making a loud clang. Her sword dropped out of her hand almost immediately and she dropped to the ground with Arthur's sword pointing at her, winning the duel.

Merlin clapped at Arthur's win, "You really haven't lost your skill Arthur. But she was very good"

"She was" Arthur relaxed and took off his helmet before lending a hand to Maree.

"Arthur, I can't feel my wrist…." She almost whined at the pain. Merlin rushed over to her, taking her helmet off and then inspects her wrist, carefully taking the gloves off and takes a look.

"You can't feel this?" He holds her wrist and Maree shook her head. "No"

"You okay?" Arthur asked, squatting down to her.

"My wrists have always been my weak point, I fell over bad when I was very young so they are always sprained"

"That explains the leather gloves that you wear all the time, they support your wrists" Merlin figured.

"Yes, they help put off some weight so when I carry something heavy, they don't affect my wrists as much"

"Here" Merlin holds her wrist with both hands "Þurhhæle dolgbenn" He said and Maree flinched a bit, her fingers starting to move a little bit.

"I can feel it again…." Maree gasped. "Don't move it too much, leave it to rest" Merlin advised her, "I'll get that armor off for you"

Maree got up and used her left hand, also with Merlin's help, they got off the armor and chainmail. "That was a good duel Maree, you are strong with your stamina, speed and agility, though you don't have strength, you do have a brain"

"Thanks Arthur, it was fun. I'd be honored to dual you again sometime" She gives Arthur a handshake with her left hand. "I'll train with you anytime"

As Merlin takes her back to Gaius chambers, Arthur continued on with his training.

"Well, at least that he didn't get beat by another girl" Merlin chuckled. "For a moment there, I thought he was going to get beaten"

"He was beaten by another girl before?" Maree was surprised.

"Yes, by someone named Morgause. He was humiliated! It's quite funny when you think about it" He gets some ice and puts it on Maree's wrist. She winced but then sighed of relief a little bit.

"Does your other wrist get strained too?" Merlin asked, taking his attention to the other wrist and Maree nodded. "I would stretch or massage them whenever they hurt"

"I can see that" He feels her other wrist, "There are a lot of bones in human wrists, and they can get damaged easily. You see, they are a bit out of place, no wonder why they are sore" Merlin starts massaging her left wrist and Maree yells in pain as she feels something click. "Ow! That hurts!"

"Just ease along with it, It'll feel better after"

After some torture in her left wrist, Merlin finally stopped and let her rest and go and make some lunch before Arthur comes back when he finishes training with an empty stomach. And he did, he saw Maree resting and looked around.  
"Where's Merlin?" He asked.

"He's at the kitchen"

 _"Great, I almost thought he was at the tavern"_

"If you think he's at the tavern, he isn't"

"Huh? How did you know that?"

"Because he told me so before he left, he is anywhere but the tavern. Besides, we don't have taverns in this century, we have café's where you eat coffee and cake. No ale"

 _"That sounds posh"_

"Well, I'll just wait for him then" Arthur removes his armor on the spot. "What about mead? Do you still have mead?"

Maree furrowed her brows in confusion, "What is that?"

"I'll take that as a no"

Then Merlin came into the room with huge plates full of food. Sandwiches one plate and some fruit on another. A good choice of healthy food after training.

"Arthur! You're back! I bought lunch" He smiled at the sight of his friend, after setting down the plates of food, he sits next to him before they all start eating.

"Where did you get all the fruit Merlin?"

"Oh, I had made a garden long ago at the back of Camelot. There is plenty of freshly grown fruit and vegetables there"

"Explains the fresh taste it has" Arthur appreciated the sweet soothing taste the fruit have, they satisfied the Kings taste buds while Maree used magic to feed herself.

"Still sore?" Arthur asked and she nodded, "They are both sore, thanks to Merlin's massage earlier but they are starting to feel better. Best to leave them rest"

"I will remember your wrists the next time we train" Arthur said.

"I'll get some water" Merlin goes out.

Arthur and Maree then looked at each other in glee and decided to eat the rest of the food before Merlin came back, and when he did he looked at the empty plates in disbelief. "You ate everything!"

"Oh sorry _Mer_ lin, you wanted some too?"

Merlin sighed, "Yes…."

"Oh we didn't forget you too" Maree chuckled and raised a plate of food from under the table and Merlin laughed, looking at Arthur. "You got her plotting against me! You really haven't changed"

 _"You haven't changed either Merlin"_


	15. Chapter 15 - Uther Pendragon

After another long afternoon of reading, Arthur put the book down and put in a bookmark to come back to it later. Merlin had been polishing the armors and sharpening the words with magic that they used in their duel earlier, then Maree decided to take a small walk around the castle to get to know the place a bit better. Arthur had some worries about her concerning that she can see ghosts, then some questions came up in his mind. _"If there is a spirit world, and it is separate from this one, why can she ghosts then?"_

They kept on rolling about on his mind that made him feel a bit down, and then he thought about the druid girl that Merlin fell in love with. He remembered that Merlin was quite sad and down around that time, then the monster came into his head. It was the same girl….and he killed her. This made him feel quite guilty.

"I'm sorry that I killed your love Merlin…." He mumbled loud enough for Merlin to hear, Merlin shot up and looked at Arthur who realised what he just said out of thought. "Um…..She was that beast wasn't she…?"

Merlin looked down a bit, "Yes she was…."

"I am sorry, I didn't know Merlin…" He felt his sadness as he saw it in his face.

"I forgave you a long time ago Arthur. After she died, she became free of her curse"

There was a moment of silence, "And your Father Merlin, I told you that no man was worth your tears…"

"It's okay Arthur. For the things that you didn't know. I understand"

"But not only that Merlin, it has also come to me that during my experiences with you I have come to understand your situation, you have taught me things and now that I know that you have magic, it comes together clearly to me"

"Thanks for recognising them Arthur"

Arthur then decided to break the sad silence, "I have a question that I think you may know"

"Fire away"

"You remember the spirit world right? Like when we met my Father?"

"Yes" Merlin nodded.

"You see….. Well, the spirit world is separate from this world, am I correct?"

"Yes. Why? Is something on your mind?"

"Yes Merlin….Maree can see ghosts, it's an ability she has. Once we first came here she was able to see everyone in the great hall"

"What?" Merlin was surprised, "She can….see? Dead people?"

"Yes. I know it's rather strange but that's what I am thinking about. How is she able to see spirits even though the spirit world is separate from this one?"

Merlin looked freaked, "Arthur I have a hypothesis, but tell me, what happened when you met your Father? Did he say anything?"

"He did mention that I was a failure because of the things that I have changed in Camelot"

"That's it!" Merlin jumped, "She can see spirits because the spirit and the real world are separate but they are invisibly merged together. You see, in the texts of philosophy when someone dies they go to a happy place"

"Which is Camelot" Arthur started to get the answer.

"And that's the spirit world. She can communicate and see those who remain in that world because they are resting here in Camelot!"

Arthur feared something then, "So if my Father is here…"

"He's going to kill her, we have to warn her"

Maree was wandering through the great hall of the castle where she first met the spirits of the place. But no one was around, so she huddled in a corner, admiring the view of the old place. Though it was old and stony, it felt like home somehow, the place was cold but somehow warm as it brought happiness to her.

She felt her teeth, a common four of them felt like fangs which she always questioned in her life but they made sense when she found out that she used to be a dragon. Sighing happily with the atmosphere of the happy place, it was shortly interrupted by a something else. Her magic could feel it and she detected another person nearby, a certain aura, it was cold and it felt dark.

Then she felt the familiar aura and knew that her past life knew this person, and this person is dangerous. Her magic guiding her, memories started to recover in her mind, Kilgharrah's memories, and his hatred for this person. But no matter how much memories that were recovered, she only felt fear. Letting out a whimper, she stayed in her spot. She became confused, muddled of what to feel, she felt like two people merged together. Taking a breath and putting her mind together, she told hold of who she was and what she is now, she wasn't the kind of person to be afraid, she just felt the burden that this person has put on Kilgharrah herself and it made her afraid. Afraid of what he just might do.

 _"Kilgharrah"_ She heard the familiar voice approach her.

Her legs sprung out and she stood, facing the man in front of her and let the image seep into her mind. "Uther Pendragon"

He looked at her in seething hate, _"How dare you enter my castle!"_

"No one said I was not allowed in" She almost hissed at him, "I am not as bad as you"

 _"How dare you speak to me that way"_

"What has magic done to you? I haven't!"

 _"Magic is evil and I shall see to it that you will be executed!"_

"Uther, magic is all around you. It cannot be killed, it is a gift whether you use it as a tool for good or evil"

 _"All magic is evil"_

She sighed with a bit of a laugh, "Uther, you have blinded yourself. You don't lift your head up to reason. Why do you think that magic is evil?" She asked, pushing Kilgharrah's memories aside for a bit.

 _"It destroyed my wife"_

"Well, if you think executing people that have magic is going to make you feel better, I don't think so, you are just as bad as those who practise magic for evil. People must pity you"

 _"Pity? That servant corrupted my son too! What do you have to say about that?!"_

"Has Merlin done anything wrong?"

The king went silent. "Merlin is different, I think you should consider that. Because with great power becomes great responsibility, and you abused yours" Maree pointed out.

Then with a great bang, the main doors went open showing a panicked Merlin and Arthur. "Maree!" Merlin called out. "Beware of Uther Pendragon!"

"Too late, he's standing right there" Maree pointed at him and Uther turned around to see his son, _"Arthur! You're alive!"_

"Did he say anything?" Arthur asked and Maree nodded, "He is looking at you Arthur" and Arthur breathed in, "Father, can you see me?"

 _"My son….you're alive….and you have….a sorcerer with you"_

"He says that you're alive, and that you have a sorcerer with you. He's in surprise but now in seething hate" Maree passes on the message.

"Merlin is no sorcerer, he is a warlock, a loyal servant and my best friend" Arthur said and Merlin looked at him in surprise, his heart raising a little bit at hearing "best friend".

 _"Arthur…."_

"He said your name"

"Father, you did not give me your word didn't you? You killed my mother. You knew the consequences and I will not let the likes of you exterminate good people like Merlin himself. He has saved my life countless times, there is no excuses in that!"

 _"Arthur, it was for the good of the kingdom, I needed a son"_

Maree passed the word on, "You _needed_ a son? If you loved my mother…." Then it came to him, "So that's why you only believed that marriage was for convenience, you did not love her. You only get what you want, if you really hated magic, why would you go to such lengths to have a son?"

"Arthur, I believe that your Father has so much more behind all that. There is a bigger reason" Merlin said, speaking what he believed.

Then Uther disappeared, "He's gone" Maree twitched, "Gone?"

"Yes, he just disappeared"

Arthur sighed, "Are you alright?"

"Yes…though he frightened me at first, Kilgharrah's memories just seeped into my brain…." Maree started to get a bit dizzy as the memories started to take over. Merlin went right over to her to keep her balanced, "You okay? Kilgharrah?"

"I'm…alright….young warlock….." She said, her eyes started to spin. Merlin smiled at her words, "Come on, let's get you back to the chambers" Merlin lifted her up, putting one arm around his neck while Arthur helps out by putting her other arm around his neck and they walk her back.

They went back to Gaius's chambers, once they got in Maree greeted Gaius at the door half conscious and Merlin almost shitted himself but he continued onto the task at hand even though he has an idea that Gaius is watching them. They laid her down on the patient beds and Merlin put a hand on her forehead.

"Are you alright?"

"I…just…let the memories settle in…..and let me sleep for a while…" She mumbled. And suddenly when her eyes stopped spinning they gradually changed color, and Merlin recognised it. It was the color of Kilgharrah's eyes.

And shortly she fell asleep and the boys relaxed. "So, I am your friend am I?"

"Of course Merlin, no mistake"

Merlin chuckled, "I get what you mean. Like when we first met"

"But is she going to be okay?"

"I think she will be, she needs to sleep and let the memories settle. Kilgharrah has lived for thousands of years so she will need a while to absorb everything"

"Me too. The books are making my head explode"

Merlin chuckled, "What volume are you up to?"

"Volume 5"

Merlin then looks at Maree, then touches her wrist, feeling how warm her skin is. With a happy sigh, he knew that she was a good person, only warmer because he remembered Kilgharrah's scales to be very warm such as this. Before he died, Merlin stayed by his side until his very last breath, the dragon was a wonderful friend though he is laying there in his very eyes.

"Hey Merlin, have you ever complained to anyone about being my servant?" Arthur asked and the memory of him and Gaius came to mind.

 _"Do you think I sit around doing nothing? I haven't had the chance to sit around and do nothing since the day I have arrived in Camelot, too busy running after Arthur, do this Merlin, do that merlin, if I am not running after Arthur I am doing chores for you, and if I'm not doing that I'm fulfilling my destiny. Do you know, how many times I have saved Arthurs life? I've lost count. Do I get any thanks? No, I have fought griffins, witches, bandits, I have been punched, poisoned, pelted with fruit and all the while I have to hide who I really am because if anyone finds me out Uther will have me executed, sometimes I think I am being pulled in so many directions I don't know which way to turn"_

"Yes…..to Gaius. But I really haven't complained like you are seriously annoying. You're just royal prat annoying sometimes when you really drive me to so many chores until I drop"

Arthur smiled, "I really am that much of a prat am I?"

"Yeah. An ass, and a royal one"

Arthur elbowed him and Merlin elbowed him back, Merlin grinning at him like an idiot. "God, we're a bunch of weirdos"

Merlin laughed. "If you say so"

"You know, remember when I said that if I needed another servant in my next life"

"You didn't need to ask"

"At least I don't have a bootlicker"

Merlin elbowed him again before they calmed down their usual but friendlier prattle. "What are we going to do with Uther when Maree can see her almost 24/7?"

"Well, let's not worry about him. When he shows up we will be ready for him"

"And Kilgharrah's probably awakened inside of Maree"


	16. Chapter 16 - Awakening Kilgharrah

"Merlin, tell me"

"Hmm?" Merlin said while he cooks dinner, Maree has been left to sleep for hours now and Arthur has been though some thinking.

"You have been born with magic"  
"Yes, I told you once"

"When did you start controlling it? Where did you learn?"

"I sometimes recall my Mother telling Gaius about how I used to cause trouble with all of the pots and pans flying across the house before I could even walk"

Arthur chuckled, "You have had magic for that long?"

"For as long as I can remember, but I didn't know any spells until I met Gaius, he gave me that magic book that you returned to me"

"That book…..why was it in Kryle Castle?"

"I put it there hoping that someday you'll find it"

"To be honest when you told me that I was going to be a great king, I did not expect you to be involved in my own legend and most people call it The Legend of King Arthur and Merlin"

"I didn't either. Arthur, if you take a ride down around the Lake of Avalon, not far from there is a statue of you on a horse"

"A statue of me?"

"Yes, to remember the legend and there is a small town not too far away that celebrates the legend once every year, I live down there"

Arthur was surprised, "Merlin, seriously, a statue of me?"

"Yes, we can go see it sometime if you want. Grab some horses, it would be like our good times, though you cannot go hunting"

"Yeah, that is quite sad. I like to hunt, except for the windoren and the beast's out there"  
"Fortunately for us, these things don't exist anymore. But there are some places where you can hunt"

"Really?"

Merlin looks at Maree, "But not now. Sometime else, we have to look after Maree"

"Yes"

It was 24 hours after Maree started to wake up. Since she was not waking up by the next morning they decided to study together through those books all day. Merlin was getting worried in the afternoon and Arthur had to stop Merlin pacing across the room because it was annoying, he was such a girl. But when Merlin said that she is his sister, one of his kind, Arthur went quiet for the rest of the day.

"Is she going to wake up….?"

Then Maree's eyes started to flutter and open slowly.

"Maree! She's waking up" Merlin called Arthur over and he came over, watching Maree open her eyes and then looking around the room. And then she looked at Merlin.

"Young warlock! And….Arthur!" She was surprised but Merlin smiled, "Hey, how do you feel?"

"I feel a bit odd, but Maree is still in me, so I feel a bit weird"

"Take your time Kilgharrah, what would you like to address us and for us to address you?"

"Maree is fine with my original name. Shall I call you Merlin and Arthur?"

"You are most welcome to do so" Arthur said, "Can you sit up?"

Merlin helps her up and Kilgharrah looks at Merlin, "It has been so long…..the memories of you are very precious"

"She's starting to take shape" Arthur said.

"Merlin, you really are a wonder in those memories of his. It has been so long ago, I feel a bit old to honest…"

"It's alright to feel old Maree" Merlin said, still holding her up.

"Yeah, I feel alright…. I just feel wiser….and there's so many spells and knowledge in my mind, it's like a library in there" She groaned. "And I feel so tiny…."

"You used to be a huge dragon, relax" Merlin lifted her up and laid her on his stomach, with her head on his shoulder. Maree looked around, "These are Gaius's chambers…" And then she looked up at Arthur, "Arthur, the once and future king of Camelot. I knew you'd come back, it is a pleasure to see you up close"

Arthur smiled, "Though however, the first time I saw you, you attacked me"

"I am not proud of that, it was wrong for me to cause harm"

"You are forgiven Kilgharrah"

"Thank you"

"Are you hungry?" Merlin asked, soon Maree was eating up her dinner in seconds, leftovers from the night before.

"Haaahh…..I'm full and satisfied" She sighed in pleasure of being full.

"Maree" Merlin gets her attention and she lifted her head up to him. "Yes?"

"I know how to reveal your true form of a dragon, would you like to go outside with me so we can try it out?"

"Sure!"

Merlin was pleased that Maree settled, Kilgharrah said what he wanted to say and she settled the memories, returning to Maree herself. He was a bit afraid that the memories might overcome her and Kilgharrah might take over her body, but he didn't. And that is because they are two people sharing the same body, the same knowledge. With these memories she may come up with some of Kilgharrah's habits but Maree is still Maree.

They all went outside to the grounds where Merlin would meet up with Kilgharrah, Merlin too also protected these grounds.

"Where is this place…? Is this..? Where Kilgharrah attacked me?"

"Yes, it's also where I call him down if I wanted any help" Merlin said, "Why don't you stand in the middle Maree? A dragon is big, so you may have to stand back, you'll need some space"

"Okay" She nodded to Merlin and ran to the middle of the grounds, taking a deep breath, she waited patiently and nodded for Merlin to start. And then he chanted the spell, "Ωδρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!"

Maree's eyes flashed gold, and then her body flashed gold, evolving into a huge dragon. Kilgharrah was thousands of years old, however Maree is only 19, therefore she wasn't as huge as they expected, she became a much smaller dragon up to the size of Aithusa, Morgana's dragon like the last time they saw it. It didn't matter what the size she was, Merlin was overjoyed to see Kilgharrah again and ran straight to her.

"Kilgharrah!"

"Merlin" She spoke but her voice was much deeper, just like Kilgharrah's own. Merlin hugged her happily, "You look quite cute to be honest, not as big as I saw you last time" He inspected her face and gave her a pat, as much as Maree could feel his happiness, she decided to lick his face.

"Hey! Hahahahaa…stop that! Your tongue is huge and rough…! And it tickles!"

She then purred, it was a very loud purr, making Merlin smile a lot more. "I never thought I'd see you again…."

"But it seems that I was destined to meet you again Merlin, the last time you saw me it was not a pleasant memory for you"

Merlin then remembered his last moments when Kilgharrah died.

"I remember everything now, and I will treasure and use them wisely. Upon all that, I will listen to your every command as you are the last dragon lord. I am bonded to you and only you Merlin"

Merlin nodded, "You are my friend Kilgharrah, and I'll treat you like one"

Arthur comes over and approaches Kilgharrah, "Wow….."

"Want to feel her Arthur? She's very warm"

Arthur has a feel of her scales and pats her gently, "They are incredibly warm…"

"I know right? If you sleep with her, it's like having an infinite hot blanket"

"Oh yes, and she's beautiful. Mighty and strong the last time but when she is much smaller like this, she is easier to admire"

Kilgharrah then gives Arthur a big lick and Merlin chuckled at the sight of Arthur having dragon saliva across his face and in his hair. "She likes you"

"Thanks, now I am going to need a bath" Arthur wasn't amused about getting dirty.

"Now, we should be getting back to the chambers"

"How? She isn't going to fit through the door!"

"Teleportation spell, and she is small enough to fit in one side of the chambers"

"I hope you're right Merlin"

"Yeah, now let's hop on!" Merlin gets on Kilgharrah's back. "What?" Arthur thought he was crazy, "Its faster Arthur, now come on. You coming?"

"I didn't know you were lazy Merlin"

"How is this lazy? She has to fly anyways, a test run, it'll be fun"

Arthur wondered for a moment before deciding, "Alright, I'll come on for the fun of it"

Arthur gets on, "Okay, hold on" Then Kilgharrah raises her wings and flies off into the sky, taking a short trip to the castle and lands into the courtyard before they get off to walk to Gaius's chambers. Kilgharrah was able to fit in but took almost half of the chambers but still fit with space for everything else.

"Try not to walk around too much, there are many delicate things here" Merlin warned her and she nodded.

"Merlin, can you please prepare me a bath?"

Merlin stopped and Arthur looked at him, "What?"

"You said please"

"Of course, you're my friend, now prepare me a bath"

With a grin, Merlin went to it right away, "Of course"

Merlin first poured some water into a tub until and let Kilgharrah warm it up carefully with her fire, perfect for a King. Arthur was very satisfied with the bath when he sat into it and washed his face full of slobber. Meanwhile Merlin went to the blacksmiths place where Gwen's father used to work and came back after with a pendant with a necklace on it. After putting it on Kilgharrah's neck Merlin explained what it is for.

"This will quickly transform you back to your human form, it will let you willingly transform to and back"  
"Thank you Merlin" She was grateful for the gift.

"But the pendant will only respond to my words, "Μπορείτε απολύονται" His eyes glowed gold and so did hers.

And then she glowed back to transform to her human form. Merlin helped her up. "Can you stand?"

"Yeah, thank you Merlin" She stood up. "That was some crazy experience, but I remembered what it was like to be a dragon, so I am okay" She breathed, "Phew!"

"Would you like a bath later?"

She nodded, "Sure"

Merlin first went to Arthur to wash his hair first before moving the tub into his own room after Arthur was finished with his own bath. After heating it up again, Maree had her turn.

"Your hair is really long and thick Maree"  
"It's always been like that, but when it dries naturally it goes curly. People fuss over how pretty it is"

"It must be hard to look after it"

"Yes, but I can't cut it short otherwise it'll just go….Poof" She expresses it and Merlin laughed, "I know what you mean" he said, continuing on washing her hair.

Then Merlin noticed a slight blush from her, and when he turned around the tub to see her face, she was literally pouting as she huddled her body in.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I'm a _girl_ Merlin, it's embarrassing!" She gave him a "humph".

Merlin slightly blushed back, "Were siblings, it isn't so bad"

"If we were younger, yes. But were adults Merlin, it's not so easy"

"It is, since you are beautiful with your hair down"

"Gh, Arthur said that too"

"Arthur did?!"

"And he read a storybook about your legend, I was surprised to see him sleeping on a chair next to my bed the next day. He must have picked it up while some items were hovering in mid-air"

"He was that interested?"  
Maree nodded, "He was often lost in thought, I think he missed you"

Merlin's eyes widened, "Oh" And then Maree felt his heart harden, he then started to cry. "Merlin….." Maree went over to him and wiped his eyes, "Don't cry…" Merlin covered his face as the tears streamed down his cheeks. Maree could feel his heart crying with pain,

Meanwhile Arthur was able to hear Merlin's crying in the distance, he shot up, wondering what was going on with Merlin. So he opened the door to his room and found a sobbing Merlin kneeled down next to Maree who is trying to comfort him.

"Merlin!" Arthur approached him and Merlin hugged him right away, Arthur, a little surprised drops down to his knees slowly and holds Merlin gently.

"What's wrong Merlin….?" He asked, stroking his head.

"I missed you Arthur….." Merlin sobbed and then Arthur gasped a bit, "I missed you so much, I waited and waited and waited for you…..but you never came, I was so alone…."

"Merlin…..you should have told me, I knew that deep inside that you were in pain for so long…I've tried to talk about it and discussed certain things. But when I first woke up, the first thing in my mind was finding you and how tough it must have been for you to continue on without me. I missed you too"

Merlin smiled as he cried, Arthur let him let it all out. "Merlin, you'll have to clean my shirt later"

Merlin scoffed, "It'll dry"

Arthur got a handkerchief from his pocket and put it on Merlin's nose, "Here, blow. You're slobbering all over me"

And Merlin blew his nose, sniffling a little bit. "Come on Merlin, man up and stop being a little girl. Look at the positive, I am here now and there should be nothing to worry about" He pats his shoulder and Merlin nodded before Arthur gives him another hug before wiping his tears, "Come on sobby"

"Clotpole"

"Idiot"

"Dollophead"

" _Meeer_ lin…"

They chuckled a bit, "Feel better?"

"Much better, thank you"

"Help Maree out, and then go to bed Merlin. A good night's sleep will make you feel better"

After Maree's bath, she returned to being a dragon again, and became Arthur and Merlin's warm bed for the night, they grabbed some blankets and covered themselves before getting into a good comfortable spot.

"This is heavenly…." Merlin sighed happily.

"You're too right Merlin" Arthur shifts his body a bit before relaxing. "Goodnight"

"Goodnight Arthur"

And they all went to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17 - Merlin's pain

The next morning, Arthur knew that he had to talk to Merlin about the night before. He knew it in his heart that Merlin must have been lonely for centuries, and that is very difficult to bear, as surprised as he is for Merlin's loyalty, he had cared for him so much that he thought. He wanted to calm that loneliness and pain in his heart because he cared for him too. When he woke up, he found Merlin sleeping in front of him but with a few small tears that had gone down his cheeks throughout the night. Has Merlin always cried in his sleep like that?

He found himself stroking his hair without thought, hoping that he could clam him down with his touch, letting him know that he is here. In Merlin's sleep, he smiled after feeling the soft skin and that made Arthur smile too.

 _"He's like a baby"_ He thought, looking at Merlin's sleeping face and then Merlin's eyelids slightly opened, eyeing Arthur and then he furrowed at Arthur's touch.

"Arthur…..what are you doing?"

"You were crying in your sleep Merlin, I wanted to comfort you"

"I'm sorry Arthur, after you died, I grieved so much and now that you're back…..the shock just came to me last night. I just still can't believe that you're alive…. And coming back to the memories is the most painful…"

"I wanted to discuss them with you because I knew that they must have been, better to go over it than grieve over them forever right?"

"Yeah" Merlin nodded.

"Merlin…. After I died, all I felt was darkness, and it was like that for centuries, I was conscious but my body didn't move, my vision was dark. I would be lost in thought of what I left behind, especially you and how you would be doing, imagining the Kingdom in peace and Gwen being its ruler. But after time I lost count of how long I was there, I just drifted there"

Merlin was silent for a while, "Even if my hearing was blocked, I was able to hear your heartfelt cries, your pain"

Merlin let out a sob. "You felt distant for a long time. Until I felt something"

"Hmmm?" Merlin wipes his tears. "I was fed up of being in that lake for what felt like forever, but when I felt something…..it felt like you, and I wanted to get out of there. The next thing I remember was seeing Maree's face and then I figured that the presence I felt was her, but I expected you"

"I visited that lake once every week Arthur, with my magic gone, you wouldn't be able to feel me like that….so why was it Maree? Why would magic regain itself at that time for Maree?"

"I think it was because she was meant to find me, she guided me out of there. The presence of magic was there once every while, and it was calling to me"

Merlin smiled, "She is our guide after all, so that makes sense. Kilgharrah knew exactly when you would come back and he was there, inside her. She is Kilgharrah himself, dragon or no dragon. She knew when was the time that Albion needed you"

Then they heard a dragon huff beside them, and they lifted their heads to the awaken dragon. "Sorry, I sensed that you two were awake"  
"It's okay" Arthur said before looking back at Merlin. "But Arthur, Kilgharrah seems to tell me the reason for your return"

"Huh? What is that reason?" She had their attention.

"The reason for your return is for Merlin and for the world"

They looked at each other. "A broken coin needed to be fixed. There is no coin without its other half, it can't even survive without its whole"

Merlin softly gasped and thanked her with a relieved smile, "Thank you for bringing Arthur back….it means so much to me"

"I can't have just stayed in that lake forever right? We need to stick together"

"Other than that" She continued, "Camelot is weak, it is viewed only as a myth to the world. Pretend, story tale based, it is time for it to rise again and for Albion to be reborn"

"Yes…..when I read that book that day….it was all portrayed as a myth" Arthur sighed sadly. "And everyone…..of Camelot is all long gone. The memories of it, everything"

"This is all that Kilgharrah tells me" Maree finished. Merlin looked at Arthur, "Camelot is my home, I couldn't just leave it, I thought that you would think the same way" Merlin said.

"Of course Merlin, why wouldn't I?"

"Then, if we are going to recover Camelot….why not?"

"For one thing, it already has been a spread word in Kryle Castle that the Legendary Arthur Pendragon is back" Maree said. "It was also spread on a social media…thing"

"You guys did _what_?!"

"They believed me, like I said"

"Then we have a head start, come on. Let's have breakfast and get to it"

While they have breakfast, Merlin remembers something and grins at Arthur and he notices. Merlin tried to hide it but Arthur had a stern look on his face, and he almost laughed so Arthur asks.

"What is it?"

"Um, just remembering things"  
"I can see that, just tell me what it is"

"Well, I'll start from the beginning. Gaius didn't die naturally, he died so Gwen could have a child"

"She what?"

"She was able to have a child using magic, like your mother did"

Arthur took a breath, "Continue"

"Gaius was a very loyal man and was willing to die for your child. So he did so, leaving me as the court Physician until there was a replacement but the new man was nothing like Gaius. Nothing could replace him. But at the time Gaius was very old, we knew that he was going to pass away soon so before he died, he was happy to give a new life for you and Gwen"

"I am happy that he died happily and peacefully" He breathed, thanking him that some servant or anyone didn't have to die for his child.

"So I heard that my son was named after myself"

"How did you find that out?"

"In a book when Maree and I went to Cryle castle, in one of the staff libraries"

"Of course…"

"So what was he like? Did he resemble his father?"

"Oh yes he did, he was a very cute little baby and kind of soft and shy when he was a child. He wasn't like you at all, even though he looked like you. He had Gwen's eyes and heart"

"I can even imagine, did you tell him about me?"

"Of course, at the time I was appointed as Court Sorcerer and sometimes he would follow me around like a little mouse. It was cute and I was able to sense him whenever he followed me until he was brave enough to tug my cape. Guess what he said?"

"What? He said something?"

"Yes, he said: You look ridiculous Mr Magic Man"

Arthur scoffed, "That sounds like something that I would say!"

"Yeah, when I was first given my uniform as Count Sorcerer, it looked like an upgrade of the uniform of the Royal Servants of Camelot you made me wear. I swear thought you were haunting me!"

Arthur broke up into laughter. "I know, I stifled a laugh when he said that. I had never laughed since your death until he came into the world. From then I would tell him stories about you before he went to bed"

Arthur smiled.

"He looked up to you so much, but Gwen worried about him. He was like you, had a Mother but had no Father. I told her not to worry and I became his mentor, taught him how to read and write and I was like a Father to him"

"Did he become a great Knight like I?"

"He did, he enjoyed it as much as you did but used his brain a lot more so he wasn't a prat like you. He had a lot of tricks up his sleeve when he fought and he treated his servant nicely like Gwen would but he ordered his servant around like you would with me"

"He was simply a mix of me and Gwen, how nice. Must have been a great King"

"He was. He asked me one day if you were a great man and I told him that you were the best I knew, and then he said, I wish I had met him. He looked up to you so much"

Arthur's eyes were teary, "Did Gwen pass away peacefully?"

"Yes, your son and I held her hands when she passed in bed"

"Merlin…..I am amazingly surprised by how loyal you are, I can't express my thanks"

"Well, maybe Maree can have you meet him"

Maree smiled at them, "I can do that"

"I would love that as he would. I can meet him tonight in the castle, maybe the great hall"

"I will let you know if I see him" Maree said before Merlin finishes his meal.

"So, the question is now, how can we succeed our goal in getting Camelot back?"

"Arthur, I think the first thing is that you need to get Excalibur. It's the proof"

"So today we have to jump into a lake to find my sword?"

"I'm afraid so, it's very cold in there"

"Why don't we just…..scuba dive?"

Arthur frowned at her, "Explain. What that. Is….." And Merlin sighed, "Volume 40 of 50, scuba diving is in page 150"

Arthur grabbed the volume and turned to the page before he started reading about it, "So, it's like an oxygen bottle thing that helps humans such as us breathe underwater for a certain period of time with flippers, goggles and dry suits"

"Yes but we cannot get this sort of stuff here for hire. So we will have to do it the hard way"


	18. Chapter 18 - Retrieving Excalibur

They stand upon the lake of Albion in modern bathers, Merlin had to show him how to put them on earlier before they left. Luckily it was a nice day to go swimming but Arthur was terribly surprised by Maree's bathers, he almost complained earlier about how much skin the female bathers leave showing but kept his mouth shut, however he couldn't stop staring at her. She noticed and gave him a death glare most of the time and hid behind Merlin until they got to the lake.

"So, here we are. Thank goodness it is a warm day" Arthur announced and glanced at Maree a bit, Merlin turned his head back to the lake and not at Maree. "Arthur, mind your manners"

"Thanks for reminding me Merlin. Now let's get to it"

But then they stopped when Arthur noticed that Merlin is shaking slightly, looking at the lake in fear. Arthur looked up to him, "What's wrong?"

Merlin had his eyes on the water, refusing Arthur to go in, "I'm afraid…."

"Of what Merlin?"

"Of you dying in the lake….." Merlin's body continued to shake and he whimpered.

Arthur went pale, "You have a fear of me dying again?"

"Yes…..I don't want to see you die again Arthur, I won't allow it….the lake….it holds too much pain"

"Merlin"

"Yes?"

"I am a good swimmer, you have seen me do so, and I am not going to die. You have to believe and trust me and if I ever got into trouble, I always know that you will be there for me"

Merlin nods, "I will be there without hesitation"

"Then do I have your trust?"

Merlin nods again, "I will help you locate it"

"Thank you Merlin, now come on, swim with me"

Merlin lifts up a small smile, "Okay Arthur"

Then they go into the lake, Merlin stayed along Arthur's side as they all swam, Arthur and Merlin had a terrible view and almost couldn't see at all in the muddy water but Maree was able to see through it.

"I can't see anything Arthur, I can feel it but I can't see in this lake to get anywhere" Merlin puffed after they went back to the surface and he looked around to find Maree, "Where's Maree?"

Maree came back up, "Here!"

"We can't see anything!" Merlin called out to her but in Maree's ears she only heard silence. She noticed but had no idea why, she thought of talking to Merlin through telepathy but didn't work so there was only one way to communicate. She swam up to them with Arthur and Merlin wondering what she heck is she doing and why she isn't responding.

"Can you guys understand sign language?" She asked and Merlin nodded, "Why?" He asked. "I can't hear anything. Something is wrong"

"Can't you speak to me using telepathy?" Merlin gave it a go and noticed that she wasn't responding, something really is wrong. "It isn't working, our magic isn't working right"

Arthur then looked at Merlin, "Then do that sign language, talk to her"

They both get up onto the island in the middle of the lake and then Merlin signs to her.

 _"What is it that you need to say?"_

 _"Merlin, use your eyes, widen them and then you should be able to see in the water"_

 _"I don't think I can, our magic seems to be disrupted here. It's a natural talent for you. A built in ability rather than your hearing"_

 _"Can you feel the sword? Can't you just let your magic guide you?"_

 _"For some reason, I can't"_

 _"Then we may have to use my eyes. I can guide you, we will have to make do without magic"_ And Merlin nodded in agreement. _"Other than that, what do you think is blocking our magic?"_

 _"I can't remember….I….."_

 _"You can't remember? Did you do something to the sword?"_

 _"Yes I….I put an enchantment on it to make sure that if anyone gets into the lake, they would be spooked out of here. Hold on….."_

Merlin gulped and then looked at Arthur who is starting to go white. "Arthur!" He quickly grabbed Arthur out of the lake, "Get out of the lake!" And he lowered him down onto the rocky ground, soon he started to get colour back into his skin and Merlin started to relax after panicking.

"What the hell was that Merlin?!" He breathed rapidly from the shock, "I'm sorry, that was my fault! I put a spell on the lake long ago to protect you and sword and from anyone finding you. I forgot all about it"

Arthur looked up to him, "You really are forgetful sometimes aren't you Merlin?!" He knocks his head like a door, "Not my fault, I've been here like forever, how can I remember everything?"

"No doubt about that, undo the spell at once"

Merlin nodded, "I just have to remember how to undo it"

"Merlin, for someone who didn't have magic when I was gone had the guts to be able to do a spell in the first place!"

"It didn't entirely disappear after you died, it slowly faded until there was nothing left. Sometime after your son passed away"

"That explains some things, undo the spell Merlin or we are going to be stuck here for the rest of our lives"

Merlin nodded and gave himself time to remember the spell, until he did, the lake regained back into its normal state. And its aura disappeared, Maree noticed. "So that's why it had such an aura! It was magic guarding the lake!" Maree said and she noticed that she could hear again.

"I can hear again!"

"Good, now let's get going, Merlin, guide the way"

"Yes Arthur"

And they went back into the water, this time Maree became Merlin's eyes while Merlin guided her to where the sword was leading them, soon they saw a faint gold glow and they knew what it was. Arthur went back up to take a breath and dived in again to grab his sword and come back up with it.

"I got it!" Arthur pulled it out of the water, "Now let's get out of the water" Merlin said and they did so, getting back to land. Arthur happily lifted up his sword up into his eyesight and chuckled. "I feel like I haven't seen it for ages!"

"Rather, you have been with it for centuries in that lake. It feels weird to be honest" Merlin reminded him. "Yes it does in a way" Arthur agreed, "We better get back to Camelot before anyone sees us"

"Yeah, people freak when they see a weapon these days. It's illegal"

"Why? Don't they need them to defend themselves?"

"We have something called the Police to defend us, the countries and states. Weapons are banned because there are some people out there that use them for the wrong use"

"That's a shame"

"But jousting is still a popular sport in this era"

"Oh, that's good to know. Come on Merlin" He pats him on the shoulder and they get up, they step upon the road that crosses not far from the lake and Arthur takes a glance at something. Merlin lifted his head to see what he was looking at, but he wasn't looking at something, he was looking at a certain spot. He went up next to Arthur and looked at the same spot, then a memory appeared. It was the moment of Arthur's death.

"I died way up there and was dragged here somehow…." Arthur said.

"You know?"

"Yeah, even though I passed, the last sense I had was my hearing"

Then they looked at the spot again.

 _"Just hold me….there is something I want to say"_

 _"You're not going to say goodbye!_

 _"No-no…" Arthur looks up at Merlin, "Everything that you've done…I know now, for me, for Camelot, for the kingdom you've helped me grow it"_

 _"You could have done it without me"  
"Maybe"_

 _"There is something that I should have said to you before….Merlin…thankyou" Arthur raises his hand and strokes his head before his eyes start to close._

 _"Arthur….Arthur…!...ARTHUR!"_

 _Arthur opens his eyes but then they close not long after, "Arthur…" Merlin gasps and breathes, he then tries to get him up, grunting with effort but fails, "ARTHUR!" He uses more effort before summoning Kilgharrah, "_ _Ω δρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!"_ _He gets up and presses his forehead against Arthurs as Kilgharrah approaches, "Kilgharrah! I know I have summoned you but there was no other choice, I have one last favour to ask"_

 _Kilgharrah takes them to the Lake of Avalon, as Arthur is being dragged along by Merlin, he speaks, "Merlin, there is nothing you can do"_

 _Merlin looks at him, "I have failed?"_

 _"No young warlock, for all of what you have dreamt of building has come to pass"_

 _Merlin pulls him up, "I can't lose him! He's my friend!"_

 _"Though no man, no matter how great can know his destiny. Some lives have been foretold Merlin, Arthur is not just a King. He is the once and future King"_

 _"Take heart, for when Albion's need is greatest, Arthur will rise again. It has been a privilege to have known you warlock, the story that we have been a part of, will live long in the minds of men" With that, Kilgharrah flies away and Merlin sees him off, lying Arthur on the ground. He looks at the lake, grabbing Arthur's sword, taking a good long look at it before throwing it into the lake, a hand extends out of the water and catches the sword, pulling it back under the water._

 _Merlin got Arthur a boat, putting him in his cape and lies him on the small boat, putting his hand on Arthurs forehead, he mourned, crying before he takes a breath to cast him away._

Arthur comes back to reality and notices Merlin crying next to him. "Merlin" He turns his head to him, "Hey Merlin, I'm right here"

"Sorry, It always comes to me when I go to this certain spot…" Merlin wipes his eyes and Arthur turns him around to face him and then presses his forehead against Merlin's. "Merlin, take a deep breath" Merlin stopped and took a slow and steady breath, allowing him to calm down. "That's it…feel better?"

Merlin nods, "Yes, thank you…" He takes another deep breath. "Good, we need to keep you distracted from this subject. You need good sleep, which means that I am letting you sleep in one of the Castles cambers from now on. You deserve it"

Merlin froze, "What? You're giving me one of the rooms?"

"They're all empty Merlin, it will be nice to make some use out of them. The kitchen is close by and we can all eat in the dining hall. Maree can take the room next to yours, but if you mess the place up, you will be the one cleaning. Same for you Maree"

"That's no problem, no problem at all" Merlin smiles. Arthur rolled his eyes at him. "Of course, you'd fix it easily with magic. Come on, we'd better get back so we can plan to make our first move"

"I have an idea" Merlin gets his attention before he makes a move, "What?"

"There is a festival that runs every year in this town, they celebrate our legend, and also they do tournaments that may interest you. It would be a good place to make an opening"

"Oh, what is it like? Have you been there?"

"Yes, I go every year. They do jousting tournaments, swords, and the winner takes a crown. It's very entertaining"

"Are the competitors any good?"

"Yeah, they are very skilled. Though I have to say, I've seen better armour"

Arthur laughed, "Sounds like a catch, when does it usually open?"

"It opens next week on Saturday, it goes for two days and then when it ends, they sometimes do fireworks"

"What are fireworks?"

"They are amazing things to watch, if they do some this year, you'll love it" Merlin's smile brightens just thinking about it. "Though they scare the heck out of people's dogs, it's a good sight to see"

Maree snorted. "They call it scare the heck out of your dog day or something"

"Sounds fun Merlin. We can do that, make a good entrance, and take it from there. Until then we plan our next move"

"Would you like to start training then?" Merlin asked, "Yes" Arthur agreed, "You can practise with me Merlin" He smirked as Merlin's smile drooped. "Come on, it'll be fun"

"Begin" Arthur said as he got into a stance and strikes against Merlin's shield on the training grounds.

"Head" Merlin blocked Arthurs attack.

"Body, shield, head" Arthur kept on attacking Merlin and surprisingly, Merlin blocked them all. "Not bad Merlin"

"It's not as bad as the first time" Merlin commented.

Maree sat beside the training grounds to watch them practise, holding a couple of water bottles in hand just in case if they needed it. Arthur found the invention of the water bottles very useful and used them during breaks, it wasn't long until Merlin was on the ground with bumps and bruises. "I forgot how fun this was" He breathed.

"Worn out Merlin? We had lunch before and now it's starting to get dark after a good practise. Need a good rest?"

"Yes….please…." Merlin said breathlessly and Arthur helps him up, "You have gotten better"

"Thanks, I guess"

Maree made dinner that night, Merlin insisted to help but Arthur ordered him to take some rest so he shut his complaining mouth and took his place. To Merlin's surprise, Maree was a pretty straightforward teacher and Arthur CAN cook. He stared at the meal before him when Arthur placed it on the table it was delicious.

"This is really yummy…" Merlin gasped at his first bite. "Really? That's good to know!" Arthur smiled at him.

Merlin settled into his chambers swiftly that night and made himself comfortable, other than his own bed in his house, he has never slept in a good bed in Camelot before. So he embraced the luxury that his friend gave him.

"He's worried about me….." He sighed.


	19. Chapter 19 - Misunderstandings

After their failure of finding Arthurs son the night before, Merlin had his usual nightmares but surprisingly they faded away and Merlin drifted into deep sleep. He had put a spell on the bed to keep him warm because he didn't have Maree's company as a dragon and slept like a log in ages as long as he could remember.

After he woke up he sensed something wrong.

 _"_ _It's cold"_ He thought, and then when he opened his eyes….they widened with shock.

 _"_ _Arthurs in my bed!"_ He jumped up, and a quiet scream came out of his mouth, _"Why the hell is he in my bed?!"_

But then he noticed why he was cold, Arthur had been hogging the blankets and the fact slipped his mind. _"Royal prat. Don't hog the blankets…."_ He pouted and pulled the blankets back. _"I'm sure that he had a perfectly good reason to be in my bed. Hold on….I didn't have nightmares last night….maybe was it because of…Arthur?"_

Merlin looked at him again, _"He is worried about me, was I crying in my sleep again? Enough for him to hear? Oh god…"_

Merlin felt like hitting him in the face, but he then considered that he should say thank you. _"But he shouldn't go that far to sleep in my bed! However…..he has slept beside me before, so why am I fussing over this?"_

Arthur then lifted an eye and saw Merlin all pink in the face, sitting on the bed staring at him. Right away he started laughing at his face. "Merlin, what are so embarrassed about? That face is priceless!"

"I guess you have a perfect explanation for being in my bed Arthur" Merlin pushed his blush away. Arthur stopped laughing for a second and faced him, "Did you have a good sleep?"

"Yes….why?"

"Cause you were crying like a baby last night. You got me worried"

"Oh, I guess that explains it. You hogged the sheets by the way" Merlin looks at the sheets and Arthur noticed, "Sorry about that. It was unbelievably warm, did you put a spell on it?"

"Yeah I did, it helps me sleep sometimes. Even without magic, the littlest of spells may work. The coldest nights are the worst"

"You get nightmares all the time?"

"Yes I do, a lot, even if I don't want to or when I've had a good day. They always come up, they scare me sometimes because Morgana used to have them all the time, it forces me to remember her and my failures"

"Failures?"

"I wanted to help her but I couldn't….."

"So that's what you meant before you killed her. But she chose her own path and that isn't your fault" He said, looking at Merlin. "But sometimes I wish I could have known what she was going through, so I could have helped her"

Merlin looked down at the bed, _"He's right, it's not my fault and it's in the past now. All I can think of now is that she is resting in peace. And I don't have to worry about her again"_

Arthur then pulled Merlin in around his arm by the neck and rubs his fist against his head, "Ow! Owowowoww… stop it- Arthur!" Merlin was hit with a friendly rub before he was let go, Merlin let out a smile. _"He has done this to me before"_

"That's better" Arthur smiled back as Merlin rubbed his head, "Now, you better get out of bed before Maree sees us"

"Huh? What's so wrong about it?"

"In this era, men can marry men and women can marry women, she'll get the wrong idea"

"WHAT?" Arthur exclaimed, and his face went pink. "So that's why you were blushing Merlin"

"Oohhhhhh" Merlin realised it too before Arthur got a pillow and hit him with it, "Were friends not _romantic_ lovers Merlin!"

"I know Arthur, you just gave me the impression. That's what's wrong. No need to be mean there" Arthur then retreated his pillow, "Were friends, I know that and I appreciate you being here for me. I don't want to be awkward to you"

Arthur took a breath, "Thank you Merlin"

"Now that this is aside, what do you want for breakfast?"

"Anything is fine Merlin, grab something for yourself too" Arthur pats Merlin on the shoulder. Before Merlin could even get off the bed, Maree came in fully dressed with big plates of chopped fruit for breakfast.

"Morning guys" She said, bringing the plates in and putting them on the bed in front of them. "Morning" Arthur and Merlin replied to her, "You really didn't have to do this" Merlin said.

"I did it because I wanted to, let's help ourselves" She takes a piece of Apple while the others joined in.

 _"_ _Please don't ask why Arthur is in my bed…."_

"So, are you okay Merlin? I could feel your heart wrenching in pain last night" She asked, looking worried. "Lucky Arthur was there"

"Huh? You could feel that?"

"Yes, with magic. But it calmed after a while, are you feeling better?"

"Yes, I am thankful for that. Thanks for being concerned about me"

"I am not the only one concerned. Kilgharrah is feeling worried too" She takes another piece of fruit. "Kilgharrah?" Merlin's eyes widened.

"It seems that my magic is Kilgharrah himself. I can feel him and hear his thoughts, and feel him breathing. The only natural ability seems to be the ability to see people of the dead"

"So how do we know that he is talking to us?"

"His vocabulary, his body language, way of speaking, I think you'll know when he speaks to you"

"He address you as young warlock" Arthur stated and Merlin smiled, "I am not so young anymore. I am very old, far too old"

Maree smiled back, "Indeed, you are right" And Merlin knew that it was Kilgharrah speaking.

"Such a shame that we couldn't find my son last night"  
"Maybe he wasn't present, maybe that Camelot isn't his resting place"

"Do you have any idea where?"

Merlin gave it some thought, "Well, I wouldn't think of where, I think that he is still here"

"Then why can't we find him?"

"Arthur, he was nicknamed the King of the Sun. There was peace upon his time and the sun wold shine upon Camelot and the lands when he ruled. So, If my hunch is right, his ghost should be around when its daylight"

"Daylight? I've seen them during the day, they are just harder to see" Maree said, "Why don't we fix up a potion so you guys can interact with him? We might bump into others"

"You're getting smarter by the day Maree"  
"Kilgharrah is just giving me that information. How do you make the potion?"

"I can teach you that"

"Reminds me, when I asked you where Merlin was before, your eyes would shine gold and an answer would be implanted in my head. That must be Kilgharrah" Arthur confirmed.

"That confirms it"

Then Arthur looked at the mess in the room, "Merlin…..you do this as well?"

"Yeah, when you said that Maree's room gets messy with magic when she sleeps, I had my suspicions of her being a warlock"

Arthur then looked at Maree in surprise, "You're a warlock? Like Merlin? You're born of magic?"

Maree and Merlin nodded, "So you are not the only warlock in this era Merlin"

"I am the only one left" Merlin smiled sadly, "Well, except for her" he smirked, smiling at Maree and she smile back at him, sharing smiles. "Well then, get this place cleaned up. It is your room" Arthur proceeded, "See me in Gaius chambers where we meet to get that potion done" Arthur yawns a bit after stretching and walks out of the room leaving Maree and Merlin inside, the two look at each other before Maree smirks.

"What?" Merlin raises his brow in confusion, "I was able to feel your and Arthurs magic during the night. He is a good friend to you"

Merlin blushed, "Yeah, he is, he makes me happy. I still can't believe that he is here. But I think that I'm going to get a lot lighter from this point"

"I agree, I feel your magic cringe when you have nightmares, they are stingy and painful. I've felt the same before, I was going to get up and do something about it because I was worried. But then I felt another and your magic soothed" She smiled at him, Merlin still blushing. "Your heart settled"

"I was once told that Arthur and I are two sides of one coin"  
"I see, that makes sense. You're incomplete without Arthur, when did you start getting nightmares?"

"After he died….."

"You poor thing. No wonder he is here, he said himself didn't he? You _need_ him, he cares about you, he is a great friend to you"

Merlin's face scrunched up in shock, _"So is that part of the reason why I was so embarrassed about him sleeping in my bed? What am I? A maiden or something?"_

Maree laughed, "Something has come to your mind eh?"

"Yes, that we like and care for each other a lot more than we thought. It's kind of embarrassing to be honest" He turned his head, looking away from her as he puts on his shirt and necktie.

"Young Warlock, he is the once and future King, and your friend. You are what he has left you know" Kilgharrah spoke from her voice and he smiled, "I know"

Maree smiled and punched him in the arm, "Ow"

Merlin and Maree met Arthur at Gaius's chambers, Merlin surprised to see Arthur looking through potion books. "Merlin, if I call the potion, is this it?" Arthur picked up the book in front of him and showed a page to him.

"Yes, that is the right potion" Merlin takes a look, "And the ingredients….some of them we have, but I have the rest at my place"

"Is your place far from here?"

"No, it is a short walk from here. Would you like to come along with me?" Merlin gets a piece of paper and writes down the ingredients. "I'll stay here and gather the other ingredients, from Kilgharrah's knowledge I am sure he will know where to get them" Maree agreed and Merlin got another piece of paper and wrote down the other ingredients before giving it to Maree. "Thanks"

"Then we should get going"


	20. Chapter 20 - Arthur's son

Merlin lead Arthur to his small house that had Arthur gaping at first sight, but the inside was nothing compared to the outside. There was candles for lights, and books everywhere, the place looking like Gaius's chambers but in a modern style mixed in with Camelot. Merlin took him outside where there were many plants scattered about, every single one familiar to him.

"These plants are pretty much what I have kept all the way back from our era, some of them extremely rare that you can't find them anymore" Merlin said, his mind focused on the task as he goes through the list ingredients to collect them.

Arthur took a wonder around the place, remembering the kind of bushes and plants that were around Camelot, he spotted the Gaia berries that made him smirk. "Saving Gaia berries in case if you see a wildoren?"

Merlin grinned, "No, but they are good to keep"

Arthur kept on looking until he spotted something familiar, "The Mortaeus flower….Merlin, how did you get this?"

Merlin raised his head from collecting ingredients, "Oh, before the cave was closed up I went and collected the flower before I lost the opportunity. Bred it alone, it is the last of its kind"

Arthur took a long look at the flower, looking back to the memories of going to that cave and being guided by that light. _"Merlin saved me with that light even when he was ill…."_ Arthur thought. _"Even if he hid his magic from me, he had a reason to. And he has saved my life so many times without me knowing, not once sought any credit…."_

Merlin went past Arthur, getting other potions from shelves to finish up his list, putting everything in his bag that he brought with him. "All done"

Arthur then heard a meow from a small black creature, a cat, perking its ears whilst sitting on top of the side fence. "What is that?" Arthur asked, had never seen a cat before.

"That's a cat Arthur, it's a stray. She comes up here every now and then, she is attached to me"

"He looks like Freya, but so much smaller. Do they bite?"

"Yes, if you annoy her. But she is pretty harmless, people have cats as pets these days"

"What's her name?"

"I call her Freya, she reminds me of her sometimes" Merlin said, letting the cat jump on his shoulder, purring around his head before climbing into Merlin's arms. "Hello girl" He holds the cat in his arms, giving her a pat. "How have you been?"

The cat meowed before eyeing Arthur, jumping out of Merlin's arms and approached him before purring around his legs.

Merlin laughed a bit, "She likes you". Arthur bends down to pat the cat, "She is very soft"

"Well, there is another cat that comes by. He's a tabby, fat, ginger one, growls at me sometimes and has that straight amusing look on his face"

"Really? What's that guy's name then?"

"Arthur"

Arthur looked offended, "I am _not_ fat!" He barked, "See? That face, he has that face every time I see him" Merlin points at the look that Arthur is giving him, "See, there he is now" Merlin's finger goes to the cat that approaches him, giving him a glare, Arthur yelped at his mirrored image of a cat. " _God_ , he does look like me"

"Well, thank goodness that you're not fat yet. Like him" Merlin added.

" _Mer_ lin!"

"More like skinny because you haven't eaten for centuries, nowhere near fat"

Merlin then had two death glares from Arthur and a cat, "Shutting up"

Maree was left behind in Gaius's chambers where she was to collect the other ingredients while Merlin and Arthur are out collecting at his house. She went through shelves, looking for the exact ingredients before she heard someone clearing their throat, turning around to the sound, she saw Gaius standing in the middle of the room.

"Gaius, its…Gaius, am I right?" She asked, approaching him carefully.

"Yes that is right Kilgharrah, and what brings you here in my chambers? Surely, I have been dead for centuries and no one from the living has had contact with me"

"I am looking for some ingredients…..for Merlin, and Arthur"

" _Merlin? Arthur?_ " He asked, confused and she nodded, "Yes, they are alive" And Gaius's eyes widened, "Arthur is alive?"  
"Yes, they are back in Camelot"

"I've seen Merlin come in here occasionally all the time, but Arthur has been dead for centuries, other than that, I haven't seen his soul"

"Well, once we collect the ingredients, and make our potion they will be overjoyed to see you"

"I would like that as much as they do. Now, what do you need?"

She picks up the piece of paper that Merlin wrote the ingredients on, "Here, we are looking for these things"

He takes a look, "This is Merlin's writing. Now let's see….."

Gaius then tells Maree where all of the ingredients are in his chambers, and she gathers them all up on one table. "Thank you, all of the other ingredients should arrive soon with the others"

"Kilgharrah, I know that you're the great dragon but you're in a human form. Who are you?"

"I am supposedly the reincarnation of Kilgharrah, born with an ability to see the dead but I hold Kilgharrah's magic"

"I see, that explains it. Because I saw you as a dragon at first sight, but then a human in seconds" Maree then looked at the necklace that Merlin gave her, "This must be the cause" She noted, "Merlin made this for me so I can take Kilgharrah's form"

"Must not let Uther see you"

She chuckled, "Too late, he has already seen me. He had disappeared though"

"Does Arthur know that he was born of magic?"

"He was involved in the conversation, he talked of his mother. So I think he does"  
"How is he handling it?"

"He is steady but he is okay. He is more worried about Merlin"

Gaius settled, "How is he?"

"He gets nightmares"

"He still does? The poor boy was found in a cave weeks after Arthur's death, he hadn't eaten and was skinny to the bone"

"That's terrible, no wonder he broke up in tears the other day. He has been depressed for a very long time"

Gaius sighed sadly, "Do take good care of him for me will you?" And the front door opened suddenly when Arthur and Merlin came in, Merlin had her attention. "Did you get the ingredients?" He asked.

Gaius turned around to see Merlin, "Merlin!"

"Yes" Maree answered him, "With Gaius's help". Merlin's face brightened, "Gaius? He's here?"

Gaius smiled at Merlin, "He is, here. But the sooner we get this potion done, the sooner you will be able to see and hear him" She smiled back and they got to work, Merlin put all of the ingredients together and started making the potion.

"I am impressed with your skill Merlin" Gaius said and Maree told him what he just said, Merlin chuckled with a smile.

"You ready?" Arthur smiles at Merlin, "Ready than I'll ever be" Merlin smiled back, they knock their potions together, making a "klink" sound and they drink the whole thing down. Ignoring the taste, they swallow before Merlin raises his head and looks around to hopefully see Gaius. And then he sees a blue figure in robes, Gaius standing there smiling at Merlin.

"Gaius!" He gasped, he got up to face him before giving him a hug. "I missed you!"

"As did I my boy, I haven't seen you smile like that for a long time" Gaius hugged him back, Merlin letting out a small laugh.

"I see that Arthur is back too, it's wonderful to have you back again" Arthur went and gave Gaius a hug as well. "I want to thank you for giving your life for your son"

"It was a gift before my parting to your wife"  
"He made a great King Gaius, but not even close to being great as Arthur but he carried on the peace. Other than that, he had magic"

Arthur was dumbfounded, "He had magic?"

"Yes, he was born with it like you were. But only used very little for healing and helping others, not as much as I used it" Merlin explained. "He was better with a sword"

"Wouldn't he be with you?"

"Ghosts are individual, they don't interact with other ghosts" Maree explained.

"I see"

"We are hoping to look for his son" Merlin said, turning to Arthur, "This potion should last for at least a day. Should we get going?"

"You're going to look for your son? Go on, that potion is not going to last forever, go look for him. And look out for Uther, he may mean trouble"

"We will, thank you, Gaius"

"Take care you two"

Then they take their leave, once out the door, Gaius stops Maree before she goes after them. "Take care of Merlin"

She nodded, "Of course I will, it's not like it will be the last time I'll see you" She smiled before leaving the chambers, running after Arthur and Merlin before she loses them.

They all went to the great hall to find anything, and Maree halted. "Guys, I can sense someone nearby" She warned them, she then she flipped to the figure behind her. She saw a dark skinned figure but wore a dress that was fit for a Queen, she gaped at Arthur.

"Arthur…" She noted before Arthur turned around to see his wife. "Gwenivere!"

"Arthur!" She gasped as he went up to her and gave her a hug before giving her a loving kiss, "My love…"

"Arthur…..you're alive, what happened?" She asked, her mouth still gaping.

"I'm back, I am sorry I didn't say goodbye"

"You didn't need to, your ring already had the words when Gaius gave me it. You died winning a war"

"I know, I just feel bad for leaving you here all alone on the throne"

"I didn't rule it alone, our son gave me company. You must be so proud of him"

"I already am from what Merlin told me"

Gwen turned to Merlin who is smiling at the two of them, "Merlin! You're still alive!"

"Of course Gwen. It isn't easy to get rid of me"

Arthur scoffed and Gwen's smile widened at the two of them. "I would like to meet my son" Arthur said to her. "Of course, even after death, he still looks after his Mother"

"He is with you?" Maree asked.

"Come" Gwen takes Arthur's hand and guides them along down another hall and as they reach the end of it, around the corner they spot a man that is just as tall as Arthur, his hair is longer but in a little ponytail at the bottom of his head, starting at his spine, he is blonde but has Gwen's eyes. Arthur's eyes widened at the sight of him, and they just stared at each other until he spotted Merlin. "Merlin! Old man, well, not that old anymore….." He then looks back at Arthur and then looks at his Mother.

"Arthur…..this is your Father. The great Arthur Pendragon"

His son gaped at his Father, "Father?"

"It's an honour to finally meet you son" Arthur then gives him a hug, his son gasping and chuckling. "I can't believe you're here!" They were both laughing, both laughs sounding the same. "I knew you'd come back!"

Merlin smiled at their reunion.

They all had lunch in the great hall together and Father and son got to know each other. "So has Merlin bugged you in any way like he did to me?" Arthur asked.

"Hey…" Merlin complained.

"Yes, he had called me a royal prat Jr once, and told me that I was just as irritating as my Father" He scoffed. "He would drag him out of bed whenever he didn't want t attend to his duties" Gwen added and Arthur gave Merlin a glance and Merlin just brushed him off.

"Sometimes I thought to myself about why the heck is this guy the Court Sorcerer? The older he got, the worse he got but he was a good looking old man"

Arthur laughed, "I doubt it" and Jr laughed back at him, Merlin just rolling his eyes.

"I hear that you used to do magic?" Arthur asked him.

"Yes, Merlin taught me. Pretty much used it to get him to stop biting me, he was irritating as a flea sometimes and refused to listen to me during quests"

"I know exactly what you mean. But also Merlin was willing to die in my place when back then, I was the one willing to die but he wouldn't listen to me. But I am glad that he did, and used magic for the right reasons even when I didn't know"

"Magic was outlawed back then wasn't it?"

"Yes it was, my Father banned it from the lands and executed those with magic"

"I remember Merlin telling me those stories, Grandfather was a pitiful man wasn't he?"

Arthur was silent for a bit before he came to say something, "Yes, he was"

"If only if he knew what good you did, and what a great King you became. How wrong he was about magic, and about you"

Arthur looked back, "Yes, you're right"

"I sometimes wonder what he would think of you now"

"He is a stubborn man, he doesn't listen to reason. He is blinded by the past and that magic is evil. Once he hears the word, he doesn't care. I saw him the other day, full of anger"

"I see, that is sad to see. He would have been a better King if he wasn't so blind"

"Other than your Grandfather. You were a good knight?"

"Yes, want to see my sword? Merlin made it for me with the dragon Aithusa after he got control of the creature"

"Aithusa? Let me see" Arthur was eager when his son drew his sword and gave it to him to take a look at, "You made this too Merlin? It's beautiful"

"Yes. Aithusa liked Arthur when he was young and used to sleep with him at night when he was stressed"

"Beautiful creature that dragon. She was a beautiful white"

"I've seen her, but in the hands of Morgana" Arthur gave the sword back to him and drew out his own sword to show it to his son. "Here, this is Excalibur"

"Extraordinary…..Merlin made this too with Kilgharrah…"  
"He told you everything didn't he?"  
"Yes, including using magic to pull your pants down during a meeting, which always cracked me up as a child, it sent me to hysterics"

"Every time until he couldn't breathe" Merlin added and Arthur gave him a slight glare, "It wasn't funny at the time"

"But embarrassing you was"  
"I was really confused"

"Oh Merlin!" Gwen chuckled at them. "That wasn't really nice"

"I needed some keys off him, I tried to make an excuse in getting it when I was getting the laundry but he noticed so I had to give it back to him. So pulling his pants down with magic and grabbing the keys whilst trying to help him was my plan B"

She huffed, "Really…."

Jr handed Excalibur back to Arthur, "Thank you. It really is wonderful to meet you"

"When can we meet again?" Jr asked. "Well, we can always meet again, if you want to pass a word, go see Maree, she can see you all the time" Arthur turns to her.

"Maree? Would you introduce her to me Arthur?" Gwen asked.

Arthur cleared his throat, "This is Maree, she found me near the lake of Albion when I reincarnated. She is a warlock like Merlin but her magic is Kilgharrah the great dragon himself"

"Oh? Merlin spoke of the great dragon, he passed away here in the courtyard, the poor creature. Nice to meet you"

"She has a natural ability to see the dead" Merlin added. "Thanks to her, we can communicate with you"

"Ah I see, thank you for your guidance"

"Thanks, but even as a warlock, I don't think I am anywhere near powerful as Merlin"

Merlin chuckled, "We're of kin Maree"  
"I know, but still…."

"Kilgharrah is much older than me"  
"You have a point…..so we're even I guess?"

"You two don't look much different, except that Maree has slightly puffy cheeks" Gwen stated and they just laughed.

"It was a pleasure seeing you again" Arthur grips his wife Gwen's hands as she smiles at him and Jr smiles at his Father. "I will continue to look after Mother" Jr said.

"Please do, look after her for me" Arthur said.

"Take care Gwen" Merlin said, still smiling.

"Um, Merlin? Can I some time alone with her for a minute before the potion wears off?" Arthur asked his friend and he nodded, "Sure, come on Maree" He nodded at Maree and she followed after him as they exited the hall.

"What is it Arthur?" Gwen asked him and Arthur took a breath. "Gwen, you have passed many years ago, now that I am in the future, what if I fall in love again?"

She sighed, "Arthur, according to the prophecy that Merlin told me about after we found out that he was a warlock, I had already thought of this. When you come back to life, in this era I want you to look into the future, don't look back, and just remember us, if there is someone you need to protect or someone you have come to love, have the free will to do so. I will always be here"

"Thank you Gwen, I appreciate it"

"Take good care of Merlin"

"I will"

Then the potion started to wear off, Gwen started to disappear. "I love you Gwen"

"I love you too Arthhur"

"Goodbye Father" Jr said, smiling at his Father.

"Goodbye son, take care"

And they faded away, no longer in his sight.


	21. Chapter 21 - Merlin's rock

That same night, Arthur went sleeping in his own bed. Only, Maree felt disturbance in Merlin's magic again and felt that he was having nightmares. So she went to Arthur's room to let him know, opening the door silently so she wouldn't wake him, she approached the King with no idea how to wake him.

" _Should I just tap him or something? How would Merlin do it? I don't want to disturb his sleep or make him mad…"_

She then tapped his cheek, Arthur mumbled a bit. "Arthur…." She spoke, tapping him on the cheek again and he opened his eyes slowly and he saw her face. "Don't you warlocks know how to knock?"

"I didn't want to disturb you…"  
"What is it…?" He groaned, wanting to go back to sleep. "It's Merlin, there is a disturbance…"

Arthur's eyes lit up, "Is he having nightmares _again_?" And she nodded her head, "Likely" And Arthur got straight out of bed for Merlin's chambers. He opened the door slowly to find Merlin cringing in his sleep.

"Merlin" He ran over to him immediately, he whispered, "Merlin, you're dreaming, wake up" He takes hold of his arms and shakes him, "Wake up!" And Merlin's shot awake, taking a steady breath, he relaxed at the sight of his friend. "Arthur….."

"You were dreaming, are you okay?"

Merlin stammered a bit, "I-I'm okay….I am okay now…" He sniffed, letting remaining tears fall from his eyes. "No you're not Merlin" Arthur frowned, getting on top of the bed carefully to keep Merlin company. "Give me your hand" He ordered.

Merlin lifted up his hand and Arthur grabbed it, placing it on his chest where his heart is. Merlin's eyes widened as he was able to feel Arthur's heartbeat. "I am right here, Merlin, I'm _alive_ "

" _Merlin's fingers are soft to the touch"_ Arthur thought, he let Merlin breathe in and feel that heartbeat of his, relaxing his muscles and breathe out. "I am worried for you Merlin, concerned. That's why I am here, to keep you company. Because you are my closest friend, my companion" He puts his hand on Merlin's forehead and feels a raging fever. "You have a fever, I'll go get something for you-"

"No, please….stay with me" Merlin grabbed Arthur's shirt before he could leave, he breathed, "Stay…." Arthur was still a little concerned about his fever, "Are you sure?"

"There is no better medicine than staying by your side" Merlin smiled at his own words, "Merlin…." Arthur smiled sadly, "Okay, I will let Maree know that you have a fever at the door, she will grab what you need. Is that okay?"

Merlin nodded, "Yes"

Arthur got off the bed, keeping his eyes on him and passed the word to Maree before coming back to the bed, tucking himself in and putting the blanket over Merlin. "Rest, Maree will be coming back with something to treat your fever"

"Thank you…"

It wasn't long until Maree came back with a bowl of water and a cloth to ease his fever and a potion to help with the nightmares. "Gaius helped me make this" Maree said, giving it to him before he gulped the contents down. "Thank you, tell him that I am grateful for his help"

"I will, will you two be okay for the night?"

"Yes"

She smiled with worry, "I got you something" She places a white delicate rock in his left hand, "Keep it in your left hand, bring it to your heart, and it'll make you feel like at home"

Merlin smiled, "Thank you Maree"

"Get better soon Merlin" She said before she left the room.

With the stone that he held in his hand, he felt it soothe him as he gripped it and he let out a sigh of relief. The feeling of the stone creeped into his chest and it made it feel light, releasing the pressure of his pain. As Arthur placed the cloth on his forehead, Merlin drifted into a deep sleep. "Goodnight Merlin, that's right, ease up" Arthur relaxes as he feels Merlin relax.

The next day Arthur awoke with ease as if it was any other day, except that there was someone missing. His eyes shot awake when Merlin wasn't in bed with him, "Merlin? Merlin!"

Instead he was greeted with a friendly dragon, Kilgharrah's face pressing against him. "Good morning"

"Hey you, how did you get in here?" He asked, patting the roof of her nose.

"The doors are big enough to fit me in, and don't worry, Merlin is in your room cleaning"

"Oh" He breathed with relief, "Good, is he alright?"

"He is very cheerful this morning"

"Where is he?"

"In your room, cleaning"

" _How is that cheerful?"_ Arthur got out of bed, finding breakfast next to his bedside. After changing into his clothes, he went out into the hall finding the whole castle looking clean as ever as if time never passed since he died. "What happened?" His eyes were blinded by the shiny surprise, he rubbed his eyes as Kilgharrah approached him, "Merlin did all this, but with magic. He is cleaning your room by hand"

Arthur went straight into his chambers, finding Merlin scrubbing the floors, humming to himself. "Merlin!" He said, surprised.

"Oh!" Merlin lifted his head away from the floor, "Good morning Arthur!"

"Are you…okay…?"

"Never been better. I think that rock did the work, I feel amazing!"

Arthur raised an eyebrow at the "rock" part, "Riiight…the castle happens to be all…sparkly…..Like I never left" He looks around his cleaned chambers.

"You like it?"

"I'm impressed…it's-…it's beautiful…." He admitted, being honest to Merlin.

"It is isn't it? I opened the gates too, got some horses for the three of us and everything should be….perfect!" He finished scrubbing the floor and threw the cloth in hand into the bucket nearby. He sighed happily, "Job well done"

"Indeed" Then Arthur's nose got filled with a bad smell, " _You_ need a bath"

"Me?" Merlin looked at him, "Come with me, I'll prepare you a bath. That's the least I could do after you cleaned the entire castle" He grabbed the tub from his antechambers and dragged it out to Merlin, "I am going to get some water from the well, you stay here" He ordered, going out to get the water.

And Merlin stood still, looking at Kilgharrah in surprise. "I thought that he will ask you to fetch the water for him"

"He cares for you, obviously"

It wasn't long until Arthur came back with some buckets of water for Kilgharrah to warm up and pour them into the tub, letting Merlin get in, he willingly let himself scrub Merlin up, grabbing some soap, rolled up his sleeves and started to wash his hair. Forgetting that Maree was standing there at the door, sitting there but not noticing her slight blush but she still stood there. After Arthur rinsed out Merlin's hair, he went over to the dragon, "Go on, Merlin will need his privacy" Arthur said, "Indeed, I will wait outside" She goes out and Arthur closes the doors.

Merlin laughed, "She's a shy one, even when she bathes you can tell"

"She's young, I can understand but we have both seen a lot worse"

Merlin snorted, "What's worse?"

"Gaius with a woman…."

They cringed, "Too right"

Later, Merlin was all scrubbed up by Arthur and he put away the cloth and let Merlin in the tub. "There you go, all clean. Either way you can let yourself soak in there for a while" Arthur smiled at Merlin who smiled back, "Thanks Arthur"

Arthur then stretched his back and groaned, "I didn't think that this would be exhausting"

"That's because you've never done it, but its good exercise"

"Are you saying I'm not fit?"

"No, I'm saying that you're using muscles that you don't really use"

"Muscles I don't really use?"

"Yes, I call them peasant muscles"

Arthur looked offended but he calmed his emotions, "I am pretty much a lot happier to help you than admit that"

"Oh, thank you Arthur" He felt a heartfelt smile and Arthur ruffled his hair. "Get dressed once you're done. I'm going to train, taking Maree with me"

"Okay Arthur"

Arthur undid his sleeves, put a jacket on and went out the doors, meeting Kilgharrah outside. "Hey, would you like to come with me?"

Kilgharrah snorted a yes in response, eager to come along and Arthur nodded, "Come, let's go to the armoury so we can train"

Kilgharrah followed Arthur on to the armoury, able to fit inside the castle but Arthur knew that she was going to grow even bigger and that worried him, but she hasn't grown to that point yet so he stopped worrying. Arthur felt powerful as he walked alongside her, but he also felt a sense of friendship. His goal today was to bond and see if he can work together with her as a dragon, he knew that he can't command her to turn her back into a human as he doesn't have magic like Merlin has but. He can learn how to use it.

His sword was forged from a dragon's breath, a powerful magical creature, but does that magic is sword magic too? He was surprised by how much magic was around him so when he was alive, he rejected it. Maybe it was time to accept it and he is going to show that by making a friendship with Kilgharrah.

Uther locked him up in a cave for 20, he is going to do the opposite.


	22. Chapter 22- Arthur's magic

Arthur gathered some weapons, chainmail and his armour from the armoury and then to Maree's surprise he went to Gaius's chambers and went looking through Merlin's magic books, once he found what he was looking for, he grabbed the book and took it with him to the training grounds.

After putting on his armour, he opened the book and started reading. "What are you doing Arthur?" Kilgharrah asked. "What are you reading?"

"I am reading on about swords that are forged by a dragon's breath"

She was silent, "…Why?"

"Because I want to know whether they hold magic, so if I am right, if they have, maybe that magic can be used by the holder"

Kilgharrah then looked at him, "King Arthur, this sword was made to be used by you and only you. This sword does possess magic, only to be used wisely" He spoke. "You were born of magic, you can use it, though you have never used it, you have a choice whether you want to wield it or not"

Arthur noticed that it was Kilgharrah speaking, "I have never felt such a good blade, when I use it, it feels right for me to wield it. I cannot apologise for what my Father has done to you and your kin, but what I can do is embrace magic. And that's what I intend to do for the good of the Kingdom and peace for Albion"

Kilgharrah settled his muscles, "Kilgharrah, I want to make a good and peaceful friendship between each other to mark a beginning between the kingdom and your kin"

"King Arthur, what you have said is what you will become and what Camelot will become"

"It is surely what we both want?"

"It brings me more than great pleasure to become friends with you King Arthur of Camelot, and I hope that this friendship will bring a bring bright future. I am more than happy to help you in your quest"

Arthur smiled, overjoyed "I am honoured to start a new beginning with you" He went and patted Kilgharrah on the shoulder. "Now my friend, how can I use magic with this sword?"

"Arthur, from the beginning I have felt powerful magic course through you. You can start using it by feeling the weapon in your hands. Connect with it"

Arthur took a breath after standing up with his sword in his hand, letting everything else out of his head and feels. "Close your eyes if you want and just feel the weapon"

Arthur closed his eyes and feels his body connect with it, "Feel yourself connect with it"

"Yes, I can feel that….I can feel Excalibur…"

"Arthur, take the sword, gather that feeling and let it go"

Arthur went up to a training dummy, got into position, gathered his feeling into the sword, lifted it as it lit up with a bright light and with a swift of the weapon, the dummy was chopped in half in one go. Arthur felt himself gasp at his achievement, "I….I did it!" He lifted his sword and felt it dim down.

"It's almost if…..it acts upon instinct…."

"The markings on the sword translate 'Lift me up, and take me away' Arthur, it speaks of your own magic and your connection to it. I congratulate you on your first successful attempt" Kilgharrah smiled.

"Thank you for teaching me my friend" Arthur laughed to himself, happy that he successfully did it. After that attempt he took a breath and felt the grass below his feet, and then he felt like he could feel the whole of Albion and then not so far away was Merlin's magic. _"I can feel Merlin's magic….I better tell him about this, I bet that he will be overjoyed. But not right now, I have to get training for the tournament soon…."_

Arthur trained for a couple of hours, using magic with his own sword, too powerful itself for the training equipment so he learned how to control the magic so he can use it whenever he wants. Soon, he rested himself next to Kilgharrah to take a break, it wasn't long until Merlin came over with a plate of food. "Hungry?" He asked.

"Merlin, I can use magic!" He panted, smiling at his friend but Merlin's brows lifted, "You what?!"

"Here, I'll show you" Arthur got up and went up to a big piece of wood that came out of a trunk tree, he lifted it, allowing it to glow. Merlin's eyes widened and he gasped. _"Arthur…..Arthur is using magic…."_

And he swiftly chopped the trunk in half, leaving Merlin dumbfounded. "Arthur….."

"Kilgharrah taught me how to wield it"

Merlin looked at Kilgharrah, "I never knew that the translation of the sword would have a connection with you using magic"

"You surprised?"

"Surprised? I'm speechless, amazed, shocked, _you're_ using magic!"

Arthur chuckled at his happy reaction, "You're a madman Arthur, you're using magic"

They both laughed.

Soon they laid down together having lunch with Maree in her human form, resting upon the grass that had been growing green throughout the centuries.

"Camelot has gotten to grow some nice green grass, it's pretty" Arthur commented the castle while they gaze at the place from their view. "And good food too" Maree added, eating some grapes.

"Your Father is going to kill you when he finds that you are using magic"

"He will change his mind when Camelot is restored and there will be people who don't think that magic is evil. Maybe he will come to his senses"

"Maybe, I can just picture Camelot…bright….beautiful, full of people, magic roaming the streets….and people celebrating with joy and happiness"

Arthur went into wonder, "We have to think about how to make our entrance"

"People know me as the Court Sorcerer, not your servant. But they know me as the person that helped create Camelot by your side"

"Yeah, Merlin we have to appear in our known roles. You are the Court Sorcerer but you are also my servant"

"Please don't make me wear that ugly uniform….."

"I think you'll have to at this point Merlin"

" _Oh great"_

"As for you Maree, I want to appoint you as Court Dragon"

She laughed, "I'm honoured"

"Never had a Court Dragon before"

"So, she gets to wear robes too?" Merlin guessed and then Arthur took a good look at her. Merlin followed, "You have seen her hair down before Merlin?" Arthur asked.

"Yes I have"

"Pretty she is, you agree?"

Merlin nodded and Maree gulped, "Guys, before you think, I hate dresses. They're out of my style"

"Nah, I think that we have a better idea"

They all gathered some fabric once Maree told them that she could sew, but they needed a sewing machine to do the trick so they gathered the supplies and went to her place. Maree heard their ideas out and drew out a pattern, it was an easy job for her and by the end of the day, the uniform robes were finished.

"Well, guys I don't think that this was a bad idea" She commented at them at first sight, "At least they aren't as ugly as Merlin's Court Sorcerer robes"

"No complaints about that" Merlin replied. Maree's robes came out to be a head cape that went down her waist, involving a shirt, pants and boots to suit her liking, including the crest of Camelot on the back. The fabric was completely black except for some edges that were either red or gold and she also had sewn Kilgharrah's name on the back.

"I thought that this sort of thing would suit her fighting style of speed and agility. She can't fight in a dress so pants are acceptable in Camelot"

"I actually really like this! I'll go try them on right away" She decided to grab the clothes and change into them in a separate room. She came back out with the robes but with her hair tied down loosely with her curls still showing. "It fits perfectly!"

"You have really good hands for sewing"

"Were lucky to still have some good Camelot fabric" She said, "It's really cosy and warm"

"I am glad, with that done, we have to think of our plan when we get there and how to reveal ourselves"

"Yes, that should be discussed" Merlin agreed, "Let's go back to Camelot"

They settled in Gaius's chambers to discuss their plan, "Okay, we will have to go in with head cloaks so we don't get detected"

"After we get signed in we get a tent like back in Camelot, till then we can take the cloaks off, we are free to grab some armour but we have our own so we don't need to grab any but they are free to use" Merlin added since Arthur has never been to the event.

"We will sign ourselves in with our real names"

"I don't have a last name though, a real one though. I do have foster parents"

"It will have to do"

"I can try and see if your DNA matches any of us"

"What is that?"

"Read book 46. DNA is like a strand of data that comes from your blood that tells us whether we are related to someone, if the data matches you may be related"

"I'll have to read about that. Other than that I will wear the cloak and keep myself unseen until I win the tournament, then we can show ourselves"

"Will you be needing your crown?" Merlin asked.

"That's not necessary Merlin, that's being a show off. People know what I look like now, that is enough. We walk to the event, and we can spend time with the people there. We fly back"

"Sounds simple enough" Merlin said and Maree nodded. "So the plan is understood?"

They all nodded, "Good. The tournament is in two days, let's keep training until then"

Merlin stood, "I'll do a DNA check now then. I will need blood from each of you" Merlin then gets a small knife and they both cut their fingers to give Merlin some samples, Merlin does the same to his finger and puts them in separate containers.

It was night so Maree decided to make dinner along Arthur helping her, they grabbed some things from her house earlier so they got to make something interesting.

Merlin kept on getting the DNA, as soon as dinner as dinner was made, Merlin got the results.

Merlin gaped, shocked at what they gave him.


	23. Chapter 23 - Arthur's daughter

Arthur heard the gasp that came out of Merlin's mouth as he set the plates on the table. "What is it Merlin?"

Merlin put them down, looked at them again and then swore to himself, he then grabbed Arthur by the arm and dragged him to his chambers. "What is it Merlin?!' He didn't like being dragged, "What's wrong with you?" Merlin shut the door and looked straight into his friend's eyes. "Tell me, two men cannot have children right?"

"No" He snorted, "Gods Merlin, what are you talking about?"

"The results"

"The results?"

"We have never kissed, made out or done any sex right?"

"What the hell? We're friends! Just tell me what you're babbling about!"

"We match her DNA, like, both of us" Merlin said slowly, he choked on his words but then Arthur let out a roar of laughter thinking that he was pulling off a joke but Merlin just stood there silent, "WHAT?!"

"According to the data, she has my brains, but she has your body, no doubt that her cheeks match yours. Her magic however, is Kilgharrah's and her natural ability comes from me"

Arthur then remembered the time when she appeared clumsy when she hit her head on the door, and that agility. For a while after he met her he swore that he was kind of seeing double of himself.

"Her hair comes your Father, like it was passed to Morgana" Merlin finished.

"She had your eyes, your clumsiness, there is no doubt your about it she is an offspring of us. But how the hell did this happen?"

"As much as I am freaked out about this as you are, I think that it can only be the act of magic"

"So you're saying…..?"

"She must have been born in the Lake of Albion, that's the only place I know where magic was still around. Coming from you like how Maree described"

"So….this means I am the Father?"

Merlin nodded. "Yup. But we are just pretty much her flesh and blood, no one gave birth to her"

"I see the view there. So what do we tell her?"

"The truth?"

"Just let it flow for now, I want to see whether if she is really our daughter"

"I'll come with an excuse if she asks"

"Good" They then go out the door to seat themselves at the table and start eating their dinner meal, pasta.

"This is new, it's….pasta isn't it?"

"So you have been reading!" Merlin gave him an impressed look, "Shut up Merlin"

"It's an Italian meal Arthur" Maree explained further, and Arthur gave it a taste, "Hmm!" Arthur nodded and put a thumbs up, "This is really good"

"So you can cook" Merlin pointed out, "Yeah, it's a natural skill to me like sewing. I just do it"

"She taught me how to make pancakes once" Arthur told Merlin, "Pancakes? Did you get anything stuck on the roof?"

"Luckily, no. I thought he would but he is good with a sword so.."

"Oh I see, good then"

"The ice cream was really nice though" Arthur added, "Ohhhh that, ice cream _is_ really nice" Merlin agreed. "I've never tasted something so cold yet so sweet"

They kept on eating their dinner whilst Arthur and Merlin kept on talking about the new inventions within the world.

"I rode on Maree's motorcycle once, it was quite fast" Arthur added, "You _what_?" Merlin gasped. "Was a bit scary at first"

Merlin laughed, "I'm not surprised. People were scared of them at first but then they just grew on us. Cars, trains, trams. They are all just useful transport"

Merlin loved the way how they were getting away with this, also, Maree would be part of the conversation too.

"So, how is that DNA going?" She then finally asked and they looked at her, "The tests are settling, the results should come out soon" Merlin lied.

"Oh okay, good to know" Maree smiled.

" _For once, you're not a bad liar Merlin"_ Arthur thought. "Well, my parents can be anyone, so it is terribly unlikely that it could be any of you guys. There is only a chance of 2 out of a billion"

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other in surprise, _"She is right, however, her own blood is right in front of her"_

After finishing dinner, they went to their chambers, only, Arthur followed Merlin into his own chambers. Merlin, noticing the King behind his back, he turned around and gave him a confused frown. "What are you doing?"

"Going to bed"

"I can see that, but why are you following me to _my_ bed?"

"I don't want you having nightmares again Merlin. If I am going to help you get a good night's sleep, I will have to go to bed with you. Think of it as a sleepover until the nightmares go away"

Merlin felt a sense of relief, "Really? I didn't know you cared"

"Of course I do Merlin" Arthur said seriously, his arms crossed and he gulped at that reaction. _"He really does care about me….."_

"Thank you, Arthur"

Arthur smiled, "I'll go change into my bed clothes" He takes off to his own chambers.

Merlin went to change and put a spell on his bed, making it warm before hopping in, it wasn't long until Arthur came in and joined him. "Geez, that's warm…" He said, relaxing. Merlin's back was facing Arthur, he then found the rock that Maree gave him looking all grey rather than white, he picked it up and it felt cold dead cold.

"Arthur…." He rolled around to face Arthur and showed the rock to him, "The rock…"

"Oh, how did that happen?" Arthur frowned. He picked it up from Merlin's hands and yelped at the cold sensation, almost dropping it, "Its darn _cold_ Merlin" He said, also feeling the heavy weight from the rock.

"You can feel that too?"

"Yes, and it was white yesterday, why is it grey and cold?"

Merlin had a hunch, "Well, that's what I would feel whenever Morgana touches me. She was so full of hate and evil"

"You could feel that?"

"Yes, I just bet that this stone had literally absorbed the burden that I have been carrying, feel it, it's very heavy too"

"But it's so dark Merlin, don't tell me you have been carrying this for centuries…"

Merlin was silent, his face saddening, "Yes. I have. And it was so painful just to hold them"

For a moment, Merlin looked at him in the eye. "I have been told many times that we are two sides of one coin, and they are kind of right, without you here I had no magic, for a long time I felt like I have been Emrys, and Merlin died away"

Arthur frowned.

"I have never felt so empty in my life. Like half of me disappeared"

"I am here now" Arthur reached out and rubbed his cheek gently. "Yeah, two weeks ago I felt myself click. And I suddenly awoke from what I felt was a deep sleep and I opened my eyes. At that time I knew that you were back"

"Did you get my letter that I left on my desk?"

"Yes, I did. I thought I was dreaming, I thought I almost fainted for a second" He chuckled at the memory.

"Did you have a family or anything while I was gone?"

Merlin shook his head, "I didn't, I couldn't fall in love. Maree is my only offspring it seems, you and Maree are only family that is alive at the moment"

"I see….."

Merlin squirmed a little bit, making himself comfortable. "There is a little something that I say before I go to sleep every night"

"Really"

"Good night Arthur, see you later alligator"

Arthur smiled, "Since I'm here I would say…in a while crocodile"

Merlin smiled back, slowly drifting off to sleep. "Arthur…."

"Yes?"

"Your hand is very warm….." he said, falling asleep, his eyelids closing. "Good night Merlin" Arthur stroked his cheek, "Sweet dreams"

"Ready?"  
"Ready!"

Maree and Arthur then began sparring with their swords at the training ground, their clashing could be heard from where Merlin was napping, next to a tree peacefully without any nightmares. He could feel the sun on his chest in his old servant clothes that Arthur asked him to put on instead of his ridiculous looking modern clothes. He felt like himself again, and that made him smile in his sleep.

"Use your wrists more Maree, they will become stronger and flexible the more you use them!"

"Yes sire!" She shouted as they kept on training.

" _She called me 'sire'…"_

Arthur imagined if she called him Daddy or Papa, Father or something, he has never had a daughter that called him that before. And she is a beauty, a strong fighter like his Father. Nether less she also has Kilgharrah's magic, also Merlin's brain and inherited abilities from him to talk to ghosts… two sides of the same coin, if he and Merlin are the two sides, then what is she? The middle holding them together?

He has a son that has similar features to himself, but has a heart like his Mothers. He thought of Morgana, his sister, she used to have that nice curly hair when she was his Fathers ward, kind of like Maree's hair… At first sight, he almost thought she was like the splitting image of Morgana because of that hair. But her eyes we're like Merlins, she dressed in a similar way, somewhere in his heart he had an intruding feeling that he might be related to this person.

 _Merlin's eyes…._

 _Morgana's hair…_

 _Kilgharrah's magic…_

 _Merlin's brain…_

 _My smile…_

 _My body features…._

 _Fighting skills…._

 _Merlin's inherited abilities….._

 _My guide…_

 _The middle of the coin…_

And when she fights, she has that look on her face. It's too familiar, it's the kind of smile that his Father would have when he fights.

She represents Merlin and himself alike, and what they have gone through.

There is no doubting it, she is Arthur and Merlin's daughter through blood and flesh, and magic.

Arthur swiftly knocked her off her knees and she landed on the ground. "Ow!" She claimed from the impact on the ground.

"Don't you have any tricks up your sleeve?" He asked, helping her up.

"No, I just go along with it. I have a photographic memory but I am not so good with remembering things" She said.

" _Merlin's mind. Of course…. He's extremely forgetful"_

"Then let's see if you can use it, again!"

Merlin then heard louder swords clashing against each other as he slept, the sounds filling up his head, he woke up to see them training. He watched with his eyes wide open, smiling. _"That's my daughter"_ He thought happily. _"But who made her? If she was made by magic in the Lake of Avalon then…."_

He realised how, _"Freya…Freya, did you do this…?"_

" _Using Arthur's blood, mine and Kilgharrah's magic….you shouldn't have…"_

Kilgharrah had died right next to this lake.

Upon figuring it out, he looked at the sky and whispered "Thank you" and he turned back to watch the two training. After a while he unconsciously fell asleep until he felt a movement next to him, it was Arthur laying down against the tree next to him, along with Maree on his right side. His eyes shot right up. "Arthur?"

"Sorry Merlin, did I wake you?"

"No, it's okay. I wasn't having any nightmares anyway"

"Good. Then rest assured that you can sleep on your own from now on"

Merlin smiled, "Yes, thank god for that. I can finally sleep in peace"

He turned to see Maree who's face is covered in sweat, "You good?"

"Yeah, I hate the sweat though"

"You'll get used to it" Arthur said, "Hey Merlin, why don't we go to that statue that you mentioned?"

"The statue? Oh, I can see if I can grab some horses from the forest"

"I'll come with you, I love animals" Maree smiled in delight, _"I bet she doesn't enjoy hunting either"_ Arthur thought, he frowned but Merlin smiled, "Then come along, we can find some together"

He grabs her hand and pulls them both up, "Coming Arthur?"

"Yup, I'll come" Arthur gets up and goes after them, "I know that there are some wild horses up here close by" Merlin guides the way and Maree eagerly followed him along with Arthur.

" _The forest hasn't changed much…"_

It wasn't long until they found a group of wild horses from afar, "Come, and stand by me quietly" Merlin suggested, letting the rest of the group follow up behind him. And they didn't run away, they weren't scared of him at all. Once Merlin got a hand on a horse's snout, it grunted quietly and let Merlin pat him. "Hello fella, remember me?" He said, "Hello girl"

Merlin looked at Maree and then grabbed her hand to put it on the horses side, letting her pat it, "There, they are your friends. They won't hurt you"

Maree pats the horse carefully before merlin let her get up on her, "You can grab hold of her hair to stay on"

"Got it"

Arthur was surprised by how friendly he was with them, he was even more surprised when one horse crouched down so he can get on. "He must know I am King Arthur" He said, surprised as Merlin is.

It wasn't long until Merlin got on a horse and they set off, they stayed in the forest to avoid public attention until they got to the lake, on the far side they found a big tall statue of Arthur on a horse. "This is it" Merlin said, looking up at it.

"It doesn't look like me at all" He said.

"Yeah, some of the different versions of the legend have you as an older man. It looks completely different"

"Even so, I am grateful that I am still remembered even after all of these years…" Arthur glanced at the statue. "Is there an accurate version of our legend? Like the real legend?"

Merlin thought for a moment, "Yes, there is. There is one book"

"Can I find this book?"

"Yes, it's in my drawer back in my chambers"

"Let me guess, you wrote it?"

Merlin nodded, "It was the first story to be published"

"You _published_ it?"

"Yes, however, other legends went out and they took over" Merlin said, a bit disappointed. "Well, this weekend, they will see the real story" Arthur said.

"Does that I mean that I get to wear my own clothes then?"

"Didn't know that you we're mighty proud of being my servant"

"I am. Do you have any idea how much I have missed our banter, and your usual 'Merlin, wash my clothes', 'Merlin, wash my chain mail and wash my boots'?"

Arthur gave him a glance, "Seriously"

"It makes me very happy just to do those chores for you and being in your service…Being your friend"

They had their eyes on each other for a while, "I guess that you will be wearing those clothes, being Merlin. My servant, a warlock and my friend" Arthur said.

And then there was a tension between them and Maree could feel it, she could then feel Kilgharrah smiling on the inside.

"You're more than just a friend Arthur, you're a brother to me" Merlin confessed. " I feel the same Merlin" Arthur said, letting out a breath.

" _Oh_ Hello!" They then suddenly heard a stranger's voice approach them, Maree heard herself swear for a second _"Shit!"_ They all immediately turned their heads to the two strangers, two young women that just happened to approach the statue but then called out to them just to say hello.

" _Arthur has his fully fledged armour on, with the Camelot cape and Excalibur on! Shit- they're going to notice in seconds!"_ Merlin freaked inside his head.

"Hello" Arthur clenched his throat, trying not to expose the inside of him freaking out, _"Darn it….we got too caught in the damn moment to notice the general public! It's almost dark….who comes here at this point of the day?"_ Arthur thought.

"That is a very realistic costume that you have on, is it for the festival?" One lady asked. "Oh yes" Arthur replied, "You like it?"

"Like it? I love it, who made this? Can you buy it anywhere?"

Arthur went pale, he knew nothing about modern shops, he had no idea what to say, he looked at merlin who gave him a glance. "Yes you can, we got it in the North of England" Merlin replied to the ladies in Arthur's place. "I see, such a long way. Lovely horses, shouldn't it hurt without any saddles?" They gave the horses a pet, Arthur's horse grunted a little but Arthur calmed her down, "It's okay, they won't hurt you"

"So what brings you here?" Merlin asked.

"Oh, before the festival we usually come to see the Arthur statue here. It's our little tradition"

Arthur felt his face blush a little, "Same for us, this is our first visit" He could feel the girls eyes on him and they swooned a little bit, blushing, _"I look handsome as ever, even to the modern era…'_

"So you are coming to the festival?" They asked. "Yes we are, aren't we Merlin?" Arthur let his big mouth slip and Merlin cursed. "Arthur!" _"Shit, damn my mouth"_ Arthur thought.

The two young girls we're surprised, "Your names are Merlin and Arthur? What a surprise!"

Arthur gave Merlin looks and whispered to each other before Merlin got off his horse, going over to the two girls. "Come with us, can you?"

"The girls nodded before they we're dragged into the forest along with the horses and Maree. Arthur got off his horse and approached the girls. "You. Saw. Nothing. Okay?" Merlin said and the girls we're confused, looking at each other. "What do you mean?"

"We're the real Merlin and Arthur" Arthur admitted sadly and the girl's faces went pale. "What….?"

"Don't be afraid, we won't hurt you" Merlin helped calm them down, "Can you keep this a secret? Well, until after the festival?"

They both nodded with agreement, "So, you are Merlin?"

"Yes"

"So you're not an old man with a wizard's hat?" They asked and Arthur burst out laughing. "He looks terrible in one, I have to agree"

"No" Merlin sighed, giving Arthur daggers. "I was Arthur's manservant"

"Oh, that's hard to believe"

"I know, tell me about it. We're not old and ugly that's for sure. Here, watch" Merlin cups his hands and whispers a spell, opening up his hands again to reveal a butterfly. The girls awed, "You are Merlin!"

"Then….Excalibur…?"

Arthur drew out his sword, "You mean this?"

They clicked, "We will keep this a secret, you have our word!"

"Thank you, we must be going back now"

"To Camelot?"

There was a pause, "Yes, we have to sneak off as soon as possible"

"Then go, you don't want to be attracting attention do we?" They said, letting Arthur and Merlin go off deeper into the forest. There we're some sighs of relief.

"Well, that went well" Maree admitted. "You _think_?"

"But I think it's a good thing, once we make our appearance, those girls are our chance that people will come to Camelot" She said. "Well, that is not a bad idea"

"Our first trigger to the start of Camelot's beginning"


	24. Chapter 24 - Confession

That night Merlin was left alone to his own bed and Arthur returned back to his chambers. Merlin blew out the candle next to him and went to sleep but something was itching at him, something missing. He washed off the feeling and went to sleep.

Hours later in the middle of the night Arthur opened his eyes, and then he blinked, he wasn't the only one inside his bed. There was Merlin sleeping facing him, right next to him. _"Why the hell is he in my bed now?"_ He asked himself the same question but didn't freak out like Merlin did. He wanted to push him out and ask him a million questions but he didn't, after seeing his best friend sleeping peacefully, he shoved the idea away. _"He thinks of me as a brother…."_ He thought, recollecting the memory.

He felt his heart swell, _"I knowing this, I knew that I felt the same thing. So what is it? Love? Call me slow because I haven't lived as long as Merlin, but that's what Merlin also feels"_

" _When Merlin cried, I could feel his heart in pain"_ Arthur recalled Maree's words.

" _We love each other, when Merlin was in pain, I felt like crying, seeing him like that was horrid"_ having confirmed that, he knew what they both felt for each other.

"Goodnight Merlin" He whispered.

The next morning, Merlin opened his eyes to someone next to him, Arthur. _"How the hell did I…."_ He looked around and noticed that he was in Arthur's chambers. _"How did I end up here…?"_

Then he remembered his thoughts the next before, _"I felt like as if something was missing, maybe it was someone. Arthur?"_ he sighed, _"So that's what it was…I'm incomplete without Arthur"_

He laid back down onto the bed, left himself to stare at Arthur's face. And then suddenly, in front of his eyes, a tear came out and rolled down his cheek. His brows furrowed, "Arthur?" He became worried, he rarely sees Arthur cry, he was a strong man, stronger than he ever was. He grabbed the rock that relieved him and put it to Arthur's left hand, bringing it to his chest. And then Arthur let out a breath, the rock's grey colour got darker. _"He must be having a nightmare…."_ Arthur's body that tensed then started to settle, Merlin also relaxed, letting out a sigh of relief.

Arthur then opened his eyes, "Merlin?" He spoke.

"Are you alright? You seemed to be having a nightmare"

"I did…." He said, looking at him, "I had a dream that I was you"

Merlin stiffened, "You saw the world through my eyes?"

"Yes, but I could also feel your pain throughout the centuries after I died. It was so unbearable….I'm surprised that you pulled through. And I'm glad that you did"

"You shouldn't have to go through that Arthur"

"But I am glad I did, because, because of it I am able understand you, what you have done for me, your pain and your loneliness"

" _He wanted to understand me? My feelings? This is awkward, just what is the point of this already? What is the point of these feelings between each other? We're friends- we think of each other as brothers- we can't bear to be separated- I was blushing awkwardly to find that he was in my bed…. What is this? When I am near him, I feel like I am at home, just what…."_

Arthur sensed that Merlin was rolling through his own thoughts, "Merlin?" And Merlin put a finger up to silence him, "Hold on" he said and looked at him for a while and then his mouth gaped. "What?" Arthur asked.

"Just let me get this straight already, why am _I_ now in your bed?" Merlin asked, "You appeared here mysteriously last night. I didn't mind"

" _Strange, I don't sleepwalk"_

"Next, Arthur, we think of each other as brothers correct?"

Arthur blushed now that he had brought it up suddenly, "Yes" He chocked. "Arthur, please tell me if I am wrong. We have been going forwards and backwards with this"

"With what?"

"One word, feelings" Merlin's face was serious now.

" _Oh_ " Arthur then recalled his thoughts from last night. "That"

"I assume that you have been thinking too, I can read your face. You know that"

"Yes I have, what about them?"

"Just…..we have been searching for something. Something that is between us. Something _we_ feel towards each other, we haven't seen it"

"I have to agree with that Merlin" He was surprised. "Just what is the point?" Merlin asked and then Arthur recollected last night's thoughts. "I think it's love Merlin" He said, feeling a lot more awkward than before. Merlin's eyes widened, "Love?"

Arthur then got up, facing Merlin and looked at him in the eyes. "I have been meaning to tell you something, and I didn't know what"

Merlin looked at him, nodding, allowing him to continue. "Merlin, when I first woke up, you we're the first thing in my mind. I was horrified to think that I have left you all alone and that feeling scared me, it scared me Merlin. I wanted to find you right away and just hearing your experiences without me crushed my heart, it crushed me because I cared for you. You are my servant but you are much, much more than that, you are my closest friend, my companion, my brother, my family"

Merlin's eyes softened, "Arthur…."

"Merlin. I deeply care for you, and I don't regularly show that. But I wanted to be there for you, I cannot make up for all of those centuries of being alone all this time"

There was a bit of silence, "I…..asked Gwenivere if…..I ever fell in love again….because I knew there was a little….something. I didn't know what but I asked her anyway, she wanted me to look into the future, and I want you to as well Merlin. And if you did, you'd find some happiness. In the future, please continue to help me run Camelot and make it into a Kingdom again, to create Albion"

"Of course Arthur, when was I never there for you?"

"Merlin, correct me when I do this" He had his hands on Merlin's shoulders, for a moment they we're both expecting it, Arthur leaned in and whispered, " _I love you_ "

Upon hearing this, Merlin leaned in as well and their lips touch each other. It was a small kiss, but they didn't mind. "Well, it doesn't feel wrong it- ….it feels right, it feels natural. But I understand what you're saying and you're right. I love you too Arthur" Then Merlin smiled brightly, which made Arthur smile too. They pressed their foreheads together as they smiled, "Come here you big lug" Merlin then gives him a great big hug, Arthur chuckled.

Maree had been sitting in front of the King's chair in the great hall for a while now, staring at it, imagining that Uther would be sitting there on the chair looking at her from eye to eye. Remembering the anger that was in Uther's heart the last time they met. _"What ever happened to him….?"_ She thought, looking into Kilgharrah's memories, she remembered him killing her own kin, all of those who had magic. And why? Arthur was born of magic, and his Mother died in childbirth and he went banning magic. She felt Kilgharrah's anger and sadness of his kin, being left alone trapped in a cave for 20 years. But what happened to Uther? What made him so upset to go killing all of these good people?

She sighed sadly, looking up at the chair still. Wondering if Uther will show himself or not, "Good morning Uther" She spoke, wondering if he would be listening but she felt a very small presence. Merlin and Arthur would have awoken already by now and wondering where she is, so she got up and wrote a little note to put on the chair before she left.

Maree went into the kitchen where she found Merlin and Arthur fully dressed, making breakfast.

"Ah, Maree. Come join us" Arthur saw her come in, once she stepped in, she noticed the happy atmosphere between them, their magic was much stronger than before. She approached them curiously, "Good morning" She said. "Morning" Merlin said, helping Arthur with his first try in making bacon and egg sandwiches, Maree got some cups and set them on the table, filling them with water.

"Thank you" Arthur said and Maree settled herself down next to the table.

"You're not so bad at cooking" Merlin admitted, "If you we're born into the modern era you would make a pretty good chef"

"Thanks Merlin, though, after I do remember the big lady of the kitchen in Camelot, she was quite scary so I'll pass"

Merlin laughed, "I have to agree"

"I am much happier cooking for you and myself"

Maree found this atmosphere quite pleasing, if they're happy then she's happy too. Merlin looked at her and then gave Arthur a look, and they both knew what it was, Arthur took a breath and looked at Maree before looking back at Merlin. "We should" Merlin said, "It's not as bad as hiding magic so there is no need to hide it forever"

Arthur nodded, "You're right, why don't you get the results, I'll finish off breakfast from here"

Merlin nodded before going out to Gaius chambers to get the DNA results.

"Where is he off to?" Maree asked, "You'll see" Arthur said, setting up the plates and serving breakfast. He sat down next to Maree, "It's about you"

"You finally got the DNA results done?" She read Arthur's face, "We only gave our blood for Merlin to test…" Then she went white, "No way"

Merlin came back, sitting next to Maree he laid out the results in front of her. She got confused, "Hold on….they're all similar…."

"You are related to the both of us" Merlin said. Maree was baffled, " _How_?"

"The lake of Albion is our guess" Arthur said, "Well" Merlin added, "Remember I mentioned Freya? She is the lady of the lake"

"Yes….."

"I think she did this, while you we're sleeping in the lake"

" _Oh,_ I think that explains that"

"I see, so I was created using magic?"

They both nodded, "Gosh, it's hard to imagine that you two are related to me"

"The first thing I noticed was when you bumped your head on the door, it reminded me of Merlin's clumsiness. But now when you put it together…..it make's sense"

"So which of you is more related to me…?" She asked.

"Arthur is" Merlin said, "Your natural ability and your eyes come from me. Everything else happens to come from Arthur"

Maree then looks at Arthur, "You're my Father….." And Arthur nodded, "Hello Maree, my daughter"

She chuckled, "I think you've already said hello when we first met". Arthur chuckled, "I forgot to mention that you have Merlin's brain!" And she looked surprised, "I what?

"Other than fighting, you are just as clumsy as he is sometimes"

She gave him a look, "Seriously. I am not that bad"

"But you're a good warrior like your Father" Merlin added, making Arthur smile, "He's right" Arthur said and she smiled at her Father. "Thank you Father"

"So now I suppose I am the next heir to the throne…..a princess…" She said quietly to herself.

Arthur then looked at Merlin, "A person with magic for an heir…."

" _What would Father say? He could attack her whenever he wants to"_

"Maree" Arthur then looked at her seriously, "Don't tell Uther that you're my daughter unless if I tell you that it is okay to do so"

"Yes father" She nodded, "Just…why does he hate magic so much?"

Arthur sighed, looking at Merlin again, taking a deep breath before attempting to tell the story. "Doesn't Kilgharrah's memories tell you that?"

"Much of it, just not why he does"

Then they figured that it was better to tell her his side of the story. "Before I was born, my Mother, Ygraine was unable to give birth to an heir. Uther was desperate for one, and went to a sorceress named Nimueh to use magic to produce an heir for him. But when a life is made, one must be given in return to keep the balance of the world. Uther didn't foresee this and Ygraine died giving birth to me"

"Oh"

"Uther blamed her for the death of his wife and banished her, also banning magic and killing those who process magic"

"And the dragons….all of Kilgharrah's kin"

"Yes" Arthur nodded.

"So instead of blaming himself, he blamed all of us"

Arthur nodded again.

"Did he know that a life needed to be given in return?"

"Yes"

"Did he know that it was going to be your Mother?"

He shook his head. "Did Nimueh know that she was going to die?"

"No" Merlin answered. "Then he shouldn't blame her. He must listen to reason" She looked straight into Arthur's eyes.

"That is the problem, once he hears the world magic, he doesn't listen to reason at all"

She hummed in thought, "Father, he must had suffered a lot, experiencing the death of his wife"

Arthur looked at her sadly, "He married her for convenience, not for love"

She then recalled what he said the last time they encountered him, she thought for a moment. "Then if he didn't truly love her, then why was he so upset after her death?"

Arthur's eyes widened, _"She's right"_

"No one wants to suffer in pain or sadness in any way. If he is refusing to listen to reason, he is refusing peace for himself. Doesn't he want to release all this pain and emotion? It must be terrifying to hold all of that himself, all of that baggage"

Merlin was surprised, they looked at each other for a moment. "She really does have your brain" Arthur commented and Merlin scoffed. "Smart, she's not a prat at all"

"Course not" She pouted.

"Well, has he ever fallen in love again or anything?" She then asked, Merlin and Arthur we're taken aback on the troll incident. Merlin snorted, "He did…..with a troll"

Kilgharrah's memories recollected the time when Merlin broke the news to him and she started laughing. Merlin looked at Arthur with a "Told you so"

When she stopped laughing she calmed herself and went back to the conversation, "Did he fall in love quickly?" She asked.

"Well, actually yes" Then he turned to Merlin, "Did he fall in love before or after he was enchanted?"

"Before, I presume"

"Then certainly he is still looking for inner peace. He must be lonely…."

Arthur then remembered how he fell apart after Morgana betrayed him, what did he think after that event? He looked empty and so white…. Maree sighed sadly and leaned her head against his shoulder.

Again, Arthur and Merlin look at each other.

"She reminds me of myself when I was younger" Merlin said.

"Does she?"

"When I knew Kilgharrah when he was still chained in that cave, whenever Morgana was at the brink of death or if your father was going to die… he told me to let them die, but I didn't want to. I didn't want to let them die"

Arthur looked at Merlin with a glance, "Merlin…."

"I am not the kind of person to murder. I couldn't do it, I couldn't handle it"

"I understand, you tried to help my Father. That proves enough to me"

"But you see it don't you?"

"She has a pure heart. It seems that she…..wants to understand my Father"

"Even after what happened last time?"

Arthur nodded, "It seems so"

"Getting ready for the festival tomorrow?" Maree found Merlin polishing Arthur's armour in the armoury. After Arthur and Merlin's conversation he left him with some chores to do.

\"Yup, just doing some polishing and sharpening his sword so it'll be ready for tomorrow"

"Without magic?"

"He ordered me to. He wants them nicely done by hand"

"I can see that"

" _Déjà vu_ _"_ Merlin thought. "Would you like me to help? The more hands, the more we can get this done quicker. Besides, I think I need my armour done too"

"Well, I think we need to make you some proper armour, and a sword" He pointed out.

"But how? We don't have a blacksmith"

"Maybe Arthur has something in mind, he did say that he was going to get something"

"Let me help you first" She grabbed Arthur's helmet. "Thank you" She sat down and started polishing it before getting curious about how the helmet was made, then she went back to her main task.

Then she heard footsteps, and they weren't familiar to her. "Did you hear that?" She asked and Merlin turned his head to her, "Hear what?"

"Someone's coming. A soul" She warned him, "Who?"

"I don't know….I'll go after it. You stay here"

"Are you giving me an order, princess?"

She gave him a glance, "No, I'm just saying. You get what I'm doing"

Merlin nodded with a grin on his face, "Go on"

She gave the helmet back to him and went out the door to find Uther in the back of the hall. She gulped, feeling her inner fear again but then approached him slowly.

"Um….your highness?" She spoke, hoping that Merlin won't hear her.

He turned around to face her in seconds once he heard her voice. "You" He spoke.

She remained silent and he was staring daggers at her, she then took off her necklace and Uther flinched to see her in her human form.

"My name is Maree, my magic is of Kilgharrahs and I come in peace"

"Explains your form then, sorcerer" His voice of anger didn't change.

She then grabbed her sword and dropped it to the ground, kicking it away before putting up her arms. "I am unarmed, I show you mercy. I suggest that you do the same"

Uther showed a concerned look on his face, "I saw your note, what do you want?"

"All I want is a peaceful talk between us" She said, her arms still up.

"I do not talk to _sorcerers_ "

"Then I ask of you to not think of me as Kilgharrah, or as a sorcerer, I wish to speak to you as Maree, a person. You may choose the location where you wish to speak to make yourself comfortable, I will listen to you and respect you. But if I am to do that, please respect me as well"

Uther kept on glaring daggers at her. "No magic?"

"I swear by my word that I won't even use a single spell in your presence. You can trust that I will keep that promise and that I will follow what you say"

Uther thought for a while, his face of anger calming a bit. "Come"

And she followed him on, leaving her things behind. Uther brought her to the dining hall, and approached the front chair. "Sit" He said and she obeyed, sitting down on the chair and he went to the other side of the table to sit down on a chair which was more than metres away from her.

"What do you wish to speak of?"

"Firstly I want to tell you something that you have the right to know"

"What is it?"

"I am your Granddaughter"


	25. Chapter 25 - Seeing reason

Uther did not expect such words to come out of her mouth, he refused to believe it.

"And why would you say that? How can I trust words coming out from a sorcerer?"

"Arthur told me"

But Arthur's words, he can trust. But out of her mouth? But she requested of him to think of her as a person, not a sorcerer. He went deep into thought.

"I knew it…. You don't believe me…." She said sadly. Uther didn't know what to say so he proceeded with a question, "How can I trust you with that sort of information?"

She stood up when suddenly the doors burst open with Arthur coming in with panic. "Maree!" he shouted.

"Arthur…" Uther said, standing up to see him. Then Arthur grabbed Maree and pulled her behind him. "What are you doing to her?!" He shouted at him.

"Stop it Father! We we're only talking!" Maree argued back and his eyes widened, "You told him?! I told you not to do so!"

"He has the right to know!" She shouted. "Don't leave him in the dark!"

Arthur froze, shutting his mouth. Remembering the shock about Merlin revealing his magic, had being lied to for years, he stopped and nodded. "I'm sorry"

Uther was shocked, baffled upon the scene, Maree is definitely his Granddaughter and she has magic, Kilgharrah's magic.

"When you come upon a person, you give them respect. And that is what I have shown to him, and I believe that he is a person that still has a good heart inside!"

"But he executes those who have magic, butting his blame on them, haven't I told you?!"

"Do you think he's an evil man?"

Arthur stopped, "No….."

"Arthur, I love you more than anything" Uther felt offended.

"The troll incident proved just that Father, I know. But how can I forgive you for my Mother's death and those who you have killed?"

"That's the point Arthur. You two won't forgive each other. Father like son, you two really need to talk to each other properly"

Merlin watched from the sidelines and he caught the side of Uther's eye. "YOU"

"Huh?" Arthur and Maree looked at Merlin, "Merlin…." Arthur sighed. "How dare you serve my son!"

"If I wanted to kill him, I would have done that so many centuries ago" Merlin said and Uther stopped, "All I did was protect him, help him build Camelot to be the best kingdom within the lands. And I did it because he was my friend and I cared for him"

"Father, if it wasn't for him you would be dead a lot earlier, and I would be too" Arthur supported Merlin's argument.

"I find that hard to believe"

"He has saved your life and mine so many times than we think. And Camelot would not be what it is today"

"In the 21st century?"

"Yes, I am a legend to this very day. All because of my companion Merlin, and he stands with my legend"

Uther's eyes widened. "A sorcerer standing along with a legend….? Arthur's legend?"

"Yes. The legend says that there was a time of the once and future king that will bring peace to Albion along with the help of a friend, a sorcerer named Emrys"

"That's a druid prophecy…."

"I am Emrys, I am destined to protect Arthur. And I will never think of hurting him, not in a million years. Face it, one person, a sorcerer may have brought pain to you…..but it doesn't mean that the rest of us is evil. Forgive yourself for the mistakes you've done or you'll never be able to move on"

Maree and Arthur calmed down, Arthur let her go, giving her sword back and she put it away in its place. She looked at it for a moment, "Uther…."

Uther looked at her, "A sword and magic are no different. You have a choice to use it to kill someone or to help people"

Uther was in disbelief.

"It's a tool. People use it for bad, other people use it for good and Merlin decided to use it for a good purpose" She continued before looking at Merlin, and he nodded.

"But Father…..you knew that if a new life was to be created…a life must be given in return"

"Arthur…"

He interrupted, "Father, do not blame one sorcerer on her part. Nobody knew that it was going to be my Mother so you have no one to blame, so please don't take it on her or on anyone else"

Uther then glanced at Merlin, "After I died….I saw you save Arthur's life more than once…"

"He was poisoned, sire. I wanted to save him"

" _That time…?"_

"You we're crying. I couldn't believe my eyes, I refused to believe it….but your friendship that saw was something that was truly real"

Merlin gulped, and then he went to a shelf and pulled a book off the top of it before giving it a blow and giving it to Uther. "This is the second copy of our legend. I suggest you read it, sire"

Uther opened the book, "You wrote this…"

"Yes, this legend is the first of its kind. It's known all around the world. Arthur is known as the greatest King and I am known as the sorcerer Emrys that had helped him"

"Is this true?"

"This is the 21st century Father. If he really did despise us, Camelot wouldn't be still standing today. Centuries ago, it would have already crumbled down. He has taken good care of it"

"I guarded Camelot with my life" Merlin said.

There was some silence before Uther spoke, "Arthur, is this girl here really my Granddaughter?"

"Yes" he nodded, "But she was created by magic. She carries blood of Merlin's as well"

Uther gave her a reasonable look before looking back at Arthur, "I will read this book. Until then I will talk to you, will be there to listen?"

Arthur gave a sigh and looked into his Fathers eyes, "Yes, I will be. Let Maree know whenever you want to speak to me, or Merlin either"

"I will make some extra potions" Merlin said.

"Till then, I will speak to you" Uther said before his spirit drifted off into nothing. Arthur then looked at Maree, "What we're you thinking?"

"I wanted…..to help" Maree looked at Arthur with a bit of built in her eyes once everything settled. "Don't Arthur. If I was her, I'd do the same thing"

Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes a bit at Merlin. "Here" He said, giving back her necklace and she put it on. "Once I saw your sword and necklace on the ground I got worried that something happened to you"

"I dropped them to show him some mercy and respect, and that I don't want to do him any harm…"

"I know but….you told him when I specifically told you not to"

"I did it for the right reasons, even if it was wrong"

Merlin gave Arthur a glance, remembering the times when he disobeyed Arthur. "I understand that what you did was right, it seems that he might be coming to his senses"

"I hope so" Merlin said, "This may rest his spirit a little, it's better than nothing right?" And Arthur agreed. "Thank you, Maree" Arthur looked at her with relief and she smiled. "My pleasure, Father"

"You have no idea, this makes such a big a deal for us"

"I'm young but I have so much knowledge from Kilgharrah, he has much hate for him but love takes all and I believe that he can be happy again with you again"

Merlin pats her on the shoulder, "You have done what is believed to be right"

"He's right" Arthur nodded at Merlin, "Shall we go back? I have found a perfect set of armour for you"

"Sure! No worries, I'll go on to the armoury. Shall I wait for you there?"

"Go along, we will catch up" And she went on along out the door. Arthur sighed again, then looking at Merlin. "What just happened…"

"I know, it's hard to believe. I may have been living for an eternity but Kilgharrah holds some knowledge way before I was born, even things that I may not even know" Merlin said. "We are all full of wonders aren't we?" Arthur admitted. "She's 19, what has happened in her life to have her this experienced with such things?"

"Do you know where she was fostered?"

"She told me that she was raised in Australia"

"Oh, that is a wonderful place to grow up. Does she have a career?"

"Um…..IT, computers"

"Like the impressive ones in her house?"  
"Yes, she's an artist too"

"Then that will be coming from you, I'm a terrible drawer. Hold on, have you been reading?"

"Yes, I have finished all of the books. I think I have heard just enough from the modern era, it's so vast and amazing, it's blooming with new things"

"I have to agree with you. But I rather like the medieval times better"

Arthur smiled, "Your place and home is here"

Merlin nodded. "It is, Arthur. Doesn't matter where I go, I always come back"

There was a moment of silence, "Well Merlin, it seems that we can get closer to my father now, we can hope that he can settle, for now, let's go to the armoury. Maree will be waiting for us"

"Yes, let's go"

"I found this, and I thought that it would be perfect for you. Why don't you try it on?" Arthur pulled out some armour that was made for a young woman, he gave it to her and she put it in "It's a nice fit"

"See? You can have that"

"Thank you Father"

Then Arthur got out a sword, "Here, this was my sword when I was prince. I want you to have it" He presented it in front of her.

\Maree's mouth gaped, "Oh, Father…."

"Please accept it" he said, giving it to her and she smiled in surprise, "I will use it wisely"

And Arthur was sure that she will.

"You ready for the festival tomorrow?" Merlin asked, letting his body fall upon the bed in Arthur's chambers, feeling tired. "I am ready than I'll ever be Merlin" Arthur prepares his own bath for once, pouring water into the tub. "But I have a feeling that it will be different"

"I am sure Arthur, it will be. It's the modern era"

"I am starting to like it. People are controlling their countries, democracy…."

"It reminds me of the Knights of the Round Table, democracy"

"It does actually. There's more equality….freedom, even in marriage, you're allowed to marry whoever you like. No more servants though"

"There are….maids, butlers, they just choose to serve people. Well, everyone does, in a way"

"Like how?"

"You're a king, you serve the people. I serve you, Maree serves IT to the community, the country, and chefs serve people. And commonly, friendship, help, volunteering"

"I get it Merlin" Arthur said, getting in the tub, letting him sigh of relief and relax. "Thanks for the explanation"

"Even after all of those books, you still have much to learn I see"

"One day…we should go on a holiday so you can show me the world"

Merlin got up into a sitting position, "That actually isn't a bad idea!"

"But I am staying here for Camelot, and for myself, for now"

Merlin nodded in agreement. Then he got up and grabbed some soap before kneeling down behind Arthur to wash his hair, "Thanks Merlin"

"No worries, I'm always here Arthur"

"So what happens to me?"  
"I don't know, I have an eternal life, we will see whether if you grow old or stay young. Maybe you'll make a nice old man with a beard or something" he chuckled.

Arthur thought for a moment, "I want to be young forever, so I can stay alongside with you"

Merlin's hands that we're scrubbing Arthur's hair stopped. "Arthur…."

"I can't leave you again Merlin, but if you ever die, I am going with you"

Merlin grabbed a bucket, gathering some water before pouring it over Arthur's hair, his face hardening. He looked down to the ground with the bucket in his hands, Arthur felt his tension so she turned around to face him.

"You have a destiny in your hands Arthur, you know that?"

"And it involves you Merlin. Is there anything wrong about that?"

Merlin smiled up at him, meeting his face. Arthur reached out a hand and brushes his fingers against his cheek. "Are you sure Arthur?"

Arthur leaned in and gave Merlin a soft kiss, longer than the first one "Does this answer your question?"

Merlin chuckled, "It's sort of strange isn't it?"

"This?" Arthur raised an eyebrow. "It's always been there hasn't it?"

"Yeah, how we ended up like this. Gwen would freak if she found out"

"Well, I'm not complaining"

"Neither am I" Merlin leaned in to kiss Arthur back. "I love you"

"Good evening my lady" Maree greeted Gwenivere as she came into her room. "Please, call me Gwen" She settled, "How is Arthur?"

"He is well, today he told me that it was confirmed from Merlin that I am his daughter"

Gwen was surprised, "I don't recall having a second child…."

"You didn't give birth to me, I was created by magic. Out of Arthur and Merlin's blood"

She let out a gasp, "Oh….I see. And you are how old?"

"I am nineteen years of age"

She nodded, "This happened without them knowing….I understand, then you must be my step daughter" And Maree smiled, "Yes, can I call you Mother?"

"Please feel free to do so Maree" She smiled back at Maree. "He gave you a proper sword?"

She looked at it, "Oh yes, it happens to be the sword that he had as prince"

"Oh I see, it is indeed. I recognise it. How kind of him"

"He _is_ my Father"

"And is Merlin alright?"

"Yes, I think so. He seems happier lately"

"Wonderful, I am glad that he is. Arthur must be taking good care of him then"

They then heard a burst of laughter from a familiar voice in a distance, Merlin. "He certainly is…" Maree agreed, "Whatever he is doing….."

She felt Kilgharrah smiling inside her. "We are attending a festival tomorrow, Arthur will be doing a tournament there"

"Oh? I wish him best of luck- ah, am I holding you back? You should get some sleep"

"I better, I will pass your words of luck onto Arthur for you"

"Thank you, until next time" She bowed a bit, "See you later Mother" And she left the room, leaving Maree to get some sleep.

"You are mental!" Merlin was laughing when Arthur had grabbed him by the waist and picked him up before throwing him onto the bed. A few minutes after that he experienced his stomach being tickled, his legs and arms were flailing around trying to get him to stop. "Stoooop ittttttt!" Merlin was laughing so much that his stomach was hurting. Until Arthur finally stopped, he was finally able to catch his breath.

"You're such a girl Merlin"

"And you better put something on"

"An even bigger girl, I do have something on. I sleep this way, surely you know that"

Merlin took another breath, "You're right"

"Oh Merlin, does this mean that you're admitting, that on this occasion that I'm actually right?" He mimicked Merlin's voice and he frowned in response. "You take that back"

"Make me. Have you learned how to walk on your knees yet?"

"No _sire_. I definitely haven't"

"You've had a few centuries to learn Merlin!" Arthur was still teasing him, he chuckled. "Oh. Well, I have learned this" Merlin pulled Arthur down into a kiss, it was a deeper kiss than usual as he pressed his tongue against his lips and entered his mouth. Arthur moaned in surprise, his tongue caught up in a trance with Merlins. They danced around a little, but Merlin had control, leaving Arthur in a daze once they broke the kiss.

"Does that shut you up?" Merlin chuckled at Arthur's surprised blushing face, his head in a trance a bit. "That's what happens when you spend the whole night in the tavern. Maybe mucking up my horses will sober you up" He mimics Arthur for payback and he chuckled back at him.

Arthur clicked back into reality, "Merlin…..do you know that your lips are actually quite soft?"

Merlin snorted, "I like this new way of shutting you up"


	26. Chapter 26 - The Solstice festival

"Meeeerliiin" Arthur whispered but Merlin didn't move. "Meeeeeerliiiiiin!" Arthur whispered a little louder but no response. He sighed, "MERLIN!"

Merlin's eyes shot awake. "What?"

"Come on Merlin, we have a festival to go to!" Arthur said as Merlin looked up, he was fully dressed in his armour, sword and cape. He felt a bit groggy but he had no time for extra sleep, he had to get his own butt up or else Arthur will be dragging him out of bed.

"I'm up….I'm up" He dragged himself out of bed and rubbed his eyes. Arthur got Merlin's clothes and threw them onto the bed, Merlin scrambled into his clothes and but his boots on. "Want any breakfast sire?"

"We will have breakfast at the festival. Maree says we can get some there, come on. The earlier we get there, the better"

"I'll saddle some horses. Money is different so don't bring any gold, it worth like thousands per coin, I'll get my own"

"No worries, Maree got some horses already. Just go saddle them and I'll get the supplies"

"I'm on it sire" Merlin went out of the room and went straight for the stocks where Maree held the same horses from before. She patted one with ease, calming them down to get them used to the new environment. "Merlin" She noticed him.

"Good morning, how did you find them?" He asked. "I remembered the place where we found them and brought them here"

Merlin got the saddles and started putting them on carefully to let the horses get used to the new foreign objects. He glanced at Maree for a second, noticing her curly long black hair, for a moment, he thought of Morgana and winced at the thought, pushing the memories away.

"Fathers clothes that have the Camelot symbol on them….we may have to cloak them to cover the symbol in some way so no one gets suspicious. And afterwards we can reveal them"

"That will be necessary. I do have a spell up my sleeve to cover that" Merlin proceeds to the next horse, putting the Kings saddle on. "Good. We need one for my cape as well" She gets a tie to tie up her hair and puts her hoodie over her head and gets another cape for Merlin. "Here"

"Thank you" Merlin grabbed the cape and put it on before putting on the last saddle. "I'd better get my money. Do you have any money Maree?"

"Most of mine are in Australian coins…." She gave an awkward chuckle. "Would you like me to convert them?"

"No worries, I have enough for all of us"

Maree then detects something with her good eyes and started to sniff, she could smell something. Merlin smells…..soapy. She remembered Merlin laughing the night before, what the heck happened? And his lips are somehow a bit red. She got suspicious right away but kept on sniffing.

"What are you doing?" Merlin was honestly freaked out and thought that the sniffing must be one of Kilgharrah's features. "I'm smelling you" She said, " _Why_?"

Maree then grabbed his shirt and sniffed, as weirded out as Merlin was he assumed that it was normal and calmed down a bit but was still honestly weirded out. _"He smells like the normal Merlin but there is also something else there….what is this smell?"_

" _What_. Are you doing?" Arthur was standing at the door with a weirded out look on his face. Maree instantly let go of Merlin's shirt. "Do you know about this?" He asked and Arthur nodded. "It's something that isn't easy to get used to but I appreciate her abilities that may have been inherited from Kilgharrah. Has he ever had a thing for sniffing?"

"No, but when they, as a dragon they sniff things that they haven't seen for the first time so I bet that is normal….?"

"It's been a thing that I always had since I was a child. With my hearing not available to me, my sight was my first sense then smell was the second to identify things" Maree explained, "Can you….excuse me for this?" She went up to Arthur and then halted. "Hey…."

"Yes?"

"…No. Let's focus on the festival for now shall we?"

The two boys were confused but they nodded their heads anyway. "I have the horses ready. My money is in my bag, have you got the supplies?" Merlin broke the confusion. "Yes, I have them with me"

"Hold on, just one more final touch…." Merlin went up to Arthur and uttered a spell, Arthurs cape turned blue from red. "Ah, thank you Merlin"

"I'll do Maree's cape as well"

Arthur then took his horse out into the citadel, Merlin and Merlin coming out as well shortly. They all got up on their horses and Arthur looked at Merlin, "Lead the way for us, I am sure that you know where to go"

"With pleasure sire"

Merlin led the way to the festival. Arthur was surprised by the unbelievable amount of people attending the festival when they arrived. People all dressed up in costumes as Merlin, Gwenivere and himself. Little children, teenagers and adults of all ages.

"Ah, your sword. I almost forgot" Merlin halted once he remembered. "Oh. That's right"

Merlin whispered a spell and Arthur's sword became a normal looking one like the rest of the swords in the armoury. "Thanks again. Is this the entrance?"

"Yes, let's get off our horses. We will take them through, the stocks aren't faraway"

They got off their horses and Merlin paid the entrance fee without getting any looks, they found some trees and tied up their horses.

"This is such a big place Merlin"

"First thing you have to know, I am known as Colin in this era so address me with that name okay?"

"Colin? That sort of name kind of suits you"

"Thanks"

"So where is the field where the tournament will be held?"

"Follow me" He lead them into an area that was surrounded by people watching several men training at a large training area, eating fairy floss and other beverages for breakfast. Merlin led them to a signing desk where two people sat holding papers in their hands sheltered by a tent.

"Is this it?" Arthur asked. "Yes, you sign in here and they will assist you with the rest"

"Thank you Merlin" Arthur stepped up to the person on his right. "I would like to participate" he said, "Sign here sir" The man gave him a paper. "We have paramedics on board here so if anyone gets hurt, we have backup. Armour and swords are provided, however if you have your own that is okay but we don't want any sharp swords. We will have a full check on them first"

With understanding, Arthur started filling up the blank spaces until he saw a position for an assistant and gave it to Merlin. "Here Colin" And Merlin happily filled in the rest. And gave it back to the man. Without looking at the filled sheet the man looked up with a smile, "Okay, please come with me gentlemen" He led them the way and another man took his place. He took them into a private tent where a table and a few seats sat inside with a towel and bottles of water.

"Will you require any amour or sword sir?" The man asked, letting them in.

"I have my own" Arthur took out his sword and gave it to the man, he looked at it and checked it. "Thank you sir, this sword can be used in the tournament. A timetable of the matches will be given to you shortly, it starts at 12pm. Have a good day and good luck" Without hesitation, the man gave his sword back and left.

"That was easy" Arthur said, and Maree threw off her hoodie. "Shall I get us some breakfast?"

"Please do. Maybe get us some egg and bacon sandwiches?" Merlin asked, giving her some money. "I got my own food, so none for me thanks" Arthur said, getting an apple out of his bag. "Okay, I will be right back then" She then went out of the tent.

"Excited?" Merlin asked, slumping down on a chair. "Can't wait to get out there and have some fun doing tournaments again, I miss Camelot times"

"You mean you can't wait to get your butt saved again?"

"When have you saved me in battle?"

"I summoned the snakes from the shield when you had your fight with Valliant"

"Of course…." Arthur took a bit out of his apple. It took ten minutes until Maree finally arrives back into the tent. "Was the queue long?" Merlin asked.

"No" Her face was pouting, "I was held back by a couple of boys…."

Merlin snorted, "You're popular with boys?" He was surprised, "Merlin, she isn't easily impressed by the company of them" Arthur caught him up and Merlin looked at him, "Like Morgana? She was terribly unimpressed"

"Yeah. Like Morgana" they chuckled at the nice memory, Maree turned her head. "Morgana?"

"She was Arthur's half-sister" Merlin explained. "Oh" Maree placed down the bacon and egg sandwiches and Merlin took his. "Yummy" He takes a bite and Maree helps herself with hers.

"So, you attract guys do ya?" Merlin teased and she just frowned, annoyed. "Yes, because of how pretty and beautiful I look. I can also attract seniors and adults….to be crowded by a bunch of boys when I am trying to do something is so annoying"

"That explains why you looked like a boy at the start when we first met"

"Yes, so I wouldn't attract so much attention….I fooled you didn't I?"

"You fooled us very well, I didn't know until Arthur told me" Merlin said as she sat down to eat her breakfast.

"So what do we do until the tournament starts? We can't just sit here the whole time" Maree asked. "We can't get discovered either"

"We can join the other knights at the training field, wear your helmet and no one will notice who you are" Merlin suggested. "Good idea, would you like to join too Maree?"

"Can I Father?" Maree looked pleased. "Of course, join me" Arthur lent out a hand and Maree took it. "Okay Father, as soon as I finish my breakfast"

"Right" Arthur agreed. As soon as they all finished their breakfast and had a drink of water, Arthur took off his robe and put on his helmet with the help of Merlin and they went out to the training field. Maree grabbed herself some armour from the armoury rack, grabbed a sword and helmet before putting them on and joined Arthur in training.

Merlin sat on a wooden bench and watched them train from afar with his cape still on, covering his face, it wasn't long until he noticed a group of boys in their youth watching Maree, his jaw dropped, listening to their comments about her.

" _I bet the other girls would call her a prat for stealing all of the boy's attention…."_ He thought. He turned his head away from the group of boys and put his attention on the two training. Soon they switched partners with other people on the training ground.

"Hey!" Merlin then heard a familiar voice from behind. He turned around to see a familiar friend. "Mike!" Merlin smiled, "Cols! How have you been? You have a smile on your face!"

Merlin chuckled when his friend hugged him, he had met him at the lake when Mike approached him, noticing his sad expression and decided to sit next to him. Soon Mike broke the ice and started to talk to him, they more they talked they became friends occasionally.

"Yeah, it seems so" Merlin admitted. "You have a really nice smile. Makes me want to smile too!" Mike laughed. "Here for the festival again this year?"

"Yeah"

"What brings you here so happy? Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yes. I have" He smiled again at the thought. "Good for you mate. Anyone with you?"

"A friend, I'll introduce you later. He is training with the others at the field at the moment"

"I see, I am glad that you have found what you have been looking for" Mike smiled at his friend. "Thanks"

"Have you had breakfast Colin?" He asked.

"Yes I have, will you be watching the tournament?"

"I will! Nobody misses it, it's the main event of the day ya know!"

He was glad that they made this plan.

"By the way….what's with the clothes that you're wearing?"

"You'll find out soon enough" He grinned.

Soon after an hour merlin returned back to the tent to find a piece of paper with the timetable on it, he went over to Arthur and showed him when he has a match.

"This….paper…is so thin Colin"

"I know, it's called technology. Paper is thinner these days and more durable"

"Okay, so I have matches at these times. Good, so now I know when I have to get up there. Our first one is in the second match, the tournament starts in 40 minutes"

"All good to go?"

Arthur nodded, "All ready Colin" He said without taking his helmet off while they spoke to each other. "Let's take a break before the tournament starts"  
Arthur let out a puff and went back to the tent where Maree sat inside, taking a rest herself. He sat next to her, taking his helmet off after Merlin closed off the tent.

"Here's some water" Merlin grabbed a bottle and gave it to Arthur. "Thank you Merlin"

Maree gave Arthur a slight glare, after that morning she could smell something familiar on Merlin's clothes. And his lips we're slightly red. What are those two doing? Arthur had Merlin's scent on him….. There's no way right? They are the actual Merlin and Arthur, the ones from the legend. They aren't like that….right? But She felt stronger magic since Arthur had been keeping merlin company and at night it's still there. _"Well, if they won't say anything then I will wait until they make the decision to"_

The tournament started, the field was crowded with people to Arthur's surprise. "This is going to work Merlin, coming here was a brilliant idea" Arthur chuckled, giving Merlin a pat on the shoulder.

They were taking a small peek outside the tent with Arthur's head down, they watched the opening ceremony closely. "Everyone is so excited…." Maree said.

Soon the first match began and Arthur watched their techniques. "Here Arthur, you're next" Merlin gave him his helmet. "Let's see how everyone reacts when they announce your name" He chuckled at the thought.

"We can only find out" He puts the helmet on and takes off his cloak, giving it to Merlin before stepping out. He stepped up to the field before his name was called.

"Next round we have…..?! Arthur Pendragon?!" The announcer stuttered, Merlin looked at the announcer who took off his glasses and cleaned them before reading the paper in front of him again. "Arthur Pendragon!"

The crowd roared louder than usual and the round began. Merlin watched closely just in case if Arthur had been in any sign of danger, but he was doing very well so he figured that he didn't need any help.

"He's really good…." Maree complimented her Father.

Arthur had skilfully won his first round, he came back to the tent to take a breath. "They aren't very skilled…" He said, not even showing a sweat from the match. Merlin checked the timetable again, "Okay, you're up next"

They kept on watching Arthur's matches against the other contestants, he swiftly defeated his first set of opponents but as the rounds went higher more competitive people stepped in to give him more of a challenge.

"This is the final round ladies and gentlemen!" Merlin heard the announcer when he was attending to Arthur. "This is probably the longest tournament I have ever been to" Arthur panted.

"The human population is much bigger Arthur" Merlin got a bottle of water and poured it over Arthur's face, he let out a huge sigh of relief as the cold water touched his skin. "Thank you Merlin, that feels loads better"

"This is the final match Arthur, time for your appearance" Merlin said, "Once you get that sword out, I will undo the clocking spell"

"Got you Merlin, this kind of reminds me of the time when I tried to prove myself when I was in hiding"

"It does, however you get to show your face"

"Yep. Now let's do what we planned to do. Let's show the crowd that King Arthur is back" he gets up from his seat and they give each other a pat on the shoulder. "Go and get them Arthur"

Arthur put on his helmet and went out to the field, ready for the final match. He shook hands with his opponent and Merlin went to the outside fence of the field to watch.

When they got into position, Merlin uttered a spell and Arthur pulled out the real Excalibur, making everyone gasp in awe at the weapon along with his armour uncloaking to show the royal armour.

His opponent was also shocked but showed no mercy to the King, and their match started.

Mike ran over to Merlin, "Dude! It's the real King Arthur! Is it?" he said, mouth gaping. Merlin turned to him with a smile. "This is my friend"

"YOU'RE KIDDING, DUDE" Mike's face was in real shock. "His sword is Excalibur, it showed itself like magic! His armour too…..the great sorcerer must be here! Merlin must be here! Am I dreaming? Pinch me"

Merlin pinched his friend, "Ow! So I am not dreaming, it's the real Arthur!"

"Of course, then I must introduce myself properly"

Mike was dumbfounded, "What…?"

"Hello Mike, my name is Merlin. Nice to meet you"

"You're what….?"

Merlin nodded, giving his friend a handshake. "So that's why you were at that lake every week, you were…. It all makes sense!"

They heard swords clashing against each other. Merlin focused on the match instead, "I will explain things later friend" and they watched the match instead, his friend still pale after what he just said. Maree rushed over to Merlin to join him.

"Who's the girl?" Mike asked. "Kilgharrah the great dragon" Merlin replied immediately. "You're serious?"

"Nice to meet you" Maree shook Mike's hand, "A friend of yours?"

Merlin nodded, his eyes still on Arthur.

Arthur's opponent fell backwards after Arthur's strike and lost his helmet in the process, Arthur stepped back and helped him up, taking off his own helmet to reveal his face. "This is a fair fight, may the best win" he said, his opponent nodding but smiling. "It's an honour King Arthur"

People among the crowd we're definitely sure that he was real now. And the field was fully crowded, filled with people from all around the festival mainly because they heard of Arthur's return and hurried over to watch. They were cheering his name over and over.

Arthur then knocked his opponent over and pointed at him, winning the match. The cheering went into roars. Only till then he pulled up his opponent and Merlin came onto the field. "Merlin" Merlin then looked at Maree who then nodded and ran out.

"Our WINNER, Arthur Pendragon!" The announcer said. People then came out to the field, they looked like officials, "Arthur, if you would please come with us, we would like to check your DNA for confirmation. We don't want to falsely announce that you're the real Arthur as people claim to be"

"Please do, we have nothing to hide. You can also check Merlin's blood too" he looked to his friend and the officials eyes widened. "Do you have anyone else with you?"

"Yes, Kilgharrah the great dragon"

"Bring him in"

Merlin looked at Arthur and he nodded to him. " Ωδρακον, έάω μαλερός σοφόνους φθέγγομαι τείδε άναδικέω!" Merlin chanted for Maree and all of a sudden a dragon came flying into the field, shocking everyone. But the dragon land down with ease onto the field. "I am here young Warlock" He spoke, the officials backed away at his voice. "Don't worry, he won't hurt you"

"Kilgharrah, they want to do a DNA test" Merlin said. "Indeed, they do. Go along warlock, don't keep them waiting. I will be right here, just be glad that I am small enough to fit on this field"

Merlin nodded, "We will be back"

The officials had taken Arthur and merlin in a rush, taking them into a suddenly heavy guarded tent and started taking their blood for testing while people were looking after Kilgharrah outside. Arthur and Merlin sat in a chair, after their blood was taken, Merlin took Arthurs armour and chainmail off so he can get some fresh air before they were questioned.

Merlin performed numerous magic spells to the questioners and they observed Arthurs sword, amour and their clothes. Only proving everything to be entirely real.

After the shock of the confirmation of Merlin, Arthur and the dragon Kilgharrah more people started crowing into the festival just to hear the revival of Arthur and Kilgharrah and Merlin's return. Press conferences came straight in but stayed from a distance with everyone else when Kilgharrah started to guard the tent that Arthur and Merlin we're in.

"Merlin, let's get changed" Arthur grabbed his bag and got out his Clothes and Merlin's court sorcerer clothes. "People certainly are taking this very seriously" Merlin said, catching his clothes when Arthur threw them to him and they started changing straight away. "Indeed"

Though sweaty, Arthur put on all of his clothes including his cloak and Merlin got into his Court Sorcerer robes. Arthur wanted to laugh at his appearance but he focused on the task at hand instead.

"Final touches….." Merlin said, opening a small box which contained Arthur's crown and he took great pleasure in putting it on Arthur's head. "There you go"

"Do I look okay?"

"Better than okay" Merlin let out a breath, "Let's get to the horses. We're going back to Camelot. Did you get my winnings?"

"Yes sire"

"Command Kilgharrah to go back, you are not leaving my side you understand?"

"Always" Merlin nodded with a smile, he went out the tent to go to Kilgharrah, people crowing him as he walked. "What is it young warlock?" Kilgharrah asked.

"We're heading back to Camelot!" He shouted among the crowd. "Fly slowly and let people follow you, await my orders when we get there"

"Understood" Kilgharrah nodded and flew off into the sky. Then security guards came in to protect Merlin, he went back to Arthur. "Ready Merlin?" He asked.

"Ready. Let's get to the horses. There will be cameras and strange objects around, ignore them but give a smile. The textbooks will have explained enough"

"Understood Merlin"

By his side, they went out of the tent, immediately guarded by security. They gathered their horses and got on immediately, Merlin holding the reins of Maree's horse, Arthur turned around and looked at the crowd. Then he put his hand up, and everyone silenced at his command.

"I reincarnated only just two weeks ago at the Lake of Albion, since then I have learned how much the world has changed. I cannot thank Merlin enough for looking after my Kingdom and we are honoured to be in men's minds. We're going back to the Kingdom of Camelot, everyone is welcome there, please make yourselves free and comfortable in our home. I don't know yet why I am needed here at this time, but we will see that in the future that Camelot will rise again"

There was only a few seconds until some shouted, "For the love of Camelot!"

And everyone joined in. "FOR THE LOVE OF CAMELOT!"

For that phrase used to be shouted, it was much louder now. And Arthur smiled at the people who we're roaring "Long live the King!". Merlin was smirking at him, "They remember you"

"They remember you too Merlin" With a smile on their faces, they turned their horses and went back to Camelot, people chasing after them as they went.

"Kilgharrah" Merlin approached the great dragon when they came back. "Merlin, you have done well" he spoke.

"Thank you for helping us"

Merlin brought him back to his human form, and afterwards Arthur's work had completely piled up with people coming to his throne to help bring Camelot back up to its feet. Though so many people came, he observed them wisely with Merlin standing by his side and Maree standing behind Merlin, letting her speak whenever Kilgharrah had something to say. The kingdom grew with its old traditions but upgraded with modern options, plumbing was to be installed, the village houses were to be replaced with better housing, new soldiers, Arthur considered the uniforms and the new weapons that modern day have and came to a decision to new designs and appropriate clothing including security which requires electricity which considered to be the only use for, all of the candles in the halls and chambers are to be used at night to keep the old culture. To their surprise, all of these services happened to be from the Queen of England, expected to visit the next day to see her ancestor and loyal friend. People who practised old traditions started coming in as well, looking to soon move in as soon as the new houses we're built including farmers and cooks for the King including Merlin and Maree who lived in the Palace chambers. Maree was publically introduced as the great dragon Kilgharrah but no word was spoken about her being related to the two men, Merlin and Arthur felt a sense of awkwardness in thinking about it. At the end of the busy day, Arthur was exhausted. "It's Camelot all over again now" He sighed as he reached the door to his chambers with Merlin.

"We did a wonderful job today" Merlin said, "I couldn't have done it without you Merlin, those spells did the trick"

"My pleasure Arthur"

They went inside and Arthur took a big sigh as he sat on the bed, Merlin took off his crown and put it away. "It definitely has been a big day, you tired?"

"Very"

Merlin took of his robes to only have a long sleeved shirt on and then took off Arthur's cloak, boots and chainmail before laying him down on the bed, letting him rest. "Thank you Merlin"

"You've been saying thank you a lot more now"

"That's because I want to, you're my closest friend" Merlin sat down next to Arthur. "And you deserve it"

"For everything that I have done for you?"

"Yes, and way more than that. You helped me build the kingdom"

"You don't have to remind me Arthur, I remember very well besides my old age"

"That makes two of us. We're both very old men"

They both chuckled.

"I feel very uncomfortable and sticky all over…." Arthur complained. "I'll draw you a bath" Merlin got off the bed and made a bath for him. Arthur lazily got undressed and hopped in with a yawn. "Aren't you bothered too? It was a bit of a warm day" He asked and Merlin looked at him, "What are you suggesting?"

"The tub is big enough for the two of us, and I'm sure that you haven't had such a bath like this in Camelot before. You can come in too"

"But-"

"Don't be such a girl Merlin, come in. I'll probably doze off anyway"

"It wasn't that warm, if it was you'd be expanding in that armour"

Arthur scoffed, "There you go calling me fat again"

Merlin chuckled, he wondered for a moment and then he started taking his clothes off before joining Arthur in the bath. "Ah, you're right this is a good pleasant tub, better than the one in Gaius's chambers"

Arthur smiled before he yawned again and rested his head on the side of the tub, slowly falling asleep. "So…tired…."

Merlin smiled, "I'll take care of you dollop head" He grabbed a cloth and started washing him. It wasn't long until he noticed that he was admiring his body for a while as he cleaned him, he then inspected his face. _"Gee, I really do love this man…."_

"Arthur"

Arthur moved his head a bit, "Whaat…"

"Time to get out"

"What about yuu….?"

Merlin washed himself and then washed both of their hair before getting out of the tub. He dried himself up before tapping Arthur's shoulder. "Arthur, can you get up?"

Arthur groaned and lazily got up with Merlin's help, he dried him down as well before putting on their night clothes on.

"You're heavy…..how the heck did Maree manage you?" He asked.

"No…ida…"

Merlin used his magic to lift him instead and place him on the bed. He pulled the covers and covered him with them, hopping in as well. Arthur let out a sigh, "You used magic didn't you? How lazy….you really don't have the strength to carry me"

Merlin chuckled, "I don't. I wasn't one hundred percent sure at that time. I thought I could carry you"

"You just don't have enough meat on your bones, however you are better when I train with you now. Whatever happened?"

"I was using magic….." He admitted. "Ha, I knew it"

"But I'd still be hiding behind a tree"

"So I did know you"

"I told you that I am still the same person. Everything you saw was all me"

Arthur smiled, "I am glad"

Then they sighed after a pause, "I need some advice Merlin, can you help me?"

"Sure, anything. What's wrong? Anything troubling you?"

Arthur took a moment to collect his words, "We're sharing a chamber together….does that make things….inappropriate?"

Merlin scoffed and then he laughed a bit, "That's what you said to Gwenivere to make her so upset?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Just get to the point Merlin" and he stopped laughing, his face serious and he gave it a thought. "One question"

Arthur nodded. "Is there a reason for love or does it just come to you?"

Arthur frowned and then he looked back from when he fell in love with Gwenivere, _"Whenever my Father tried to marry me with some princess I had no intention to marry because I didn't love them. Well, there is no point in trying to make yourself fall in love with someone…so you don't choose to fall in love. So how did I fall in love with her? …..It just came to me"_

"It just comes to you Merlin, you'd never know that one day that you'd fall in love with a servant" he answered his question. Merlin smiled a bit at the answer, "And how did it work with me?"

Arthur blushed a bit, _"Merlin, Merlin, Merlin, just how did I fall in love with my idiot manservant who has been very loyal to me and has been my loving friend for centuries? I have wrongfully treated him like a brat, but no matter what he is always there by my side. He has always been there before Gwenivere therefore just how did I fall in love with him in my second life?"_

"I think I just told you the reason before, but more than that, not only it just came to me, I know why I fell in love with you from the start"

"Unconditional is it?"

"If you put it that way, then yes"

They both smiled at each other, Merlin dropped his shoulders to let himself lie on the bed, his head resting against the pillows. After staring at each other, Arthur put an arm around Merlin. "Come closer" and Merlin came up closer to snuggle.

"Goodnight Arthur, see ya later alligator"

"In a while crocodile"


	27. Chapter 27 - Camelot's rising

Maree woke up the next day in bed with a groan, the only difference to the room being bright and shiny was there was Uther standing in the middle of the room. Her eyes fluttered once she saw him and got up, his face wasn't full of anger, and it had some ease in it. "Good morning Uther" She said.

"Good morning, I would like to speak to my son and I want to see him immediately" he said with his arms crossed. She would fear him to be angry but nothing seemed to be wrong so she nodded, "I'll get ready and take you to him"

She got dressed and went over to Arthur's chambers, nothing was wrong but she had a fear that Merlin just may be inside sharing a bed or doing some hanky panky. Whatever they might be doing might raise some suspicion to Uther, so she took in a nervous breath and knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Arthur raised his voice. "It's Maree, Uther wishes to speak to you"

Suddenly there were furious sounds of rustling until a minute later everything went silent, "Come in"

She figured that they must have panicked and took their time to cover everything. When they went inside, the entire room looked terribly normal and Arthur and Merlin we're innocently at Arthur's desk. Arthur sitting down in his clothes and Merlin in his Court Sorcerer robes standing next to him, the desk looking as messy as possible. Her chest took a sigh of relief.

"Father, what brings you to my presence?" Arthur asked, his voice sounding normal. Uther approached them and took a glance at Merlin's robes. "Why are you dressed like that?" He asked.

"He is Court Sorcerer Father and my loyal adviser"

Uther nodded in understanding, "Though I'd prefer Court Warlock, the term Sorcerer is a little…" Merlin added before Uther interrupted, "I've made the name a painful word"

Merlin's eyes widened. "What?"

"The book of the legend you gave me wasn't only a story, it was a diary of your own life from birth to the present day"

Merlin nodded, "It was"

"Do you mean every word of it?"

"Yes, except for what I thought of Arthur when we first met. I have no thoughts of him in that way anymore"

Uther hummed, "I have read half of your book so far warlock, and I have considered the fact that you we're raised by your Mother alone who isn't a sorcerer. It seems to me that she raised you well to grow into a well behaved boy"

"She did, but I thought I was a bit of a monster, sometimes I wished I didn't have any magic. So I can be like the other children, to get along more"

"And the reason why for that is because I made the people of Camelot that it was evil"

"I was just a boy. I didn't decide on having magic, it's with or without you. I had no choice in the matter, the only choice I had was to use it for good or for evil"

"That's right…Morgana…..she must have been frightened to find out about her own powers"

"She was, she was afraid that you'd reject her like I did, as a child, afraid to be rejected by others because I have magic"

Uther nodded silently, "You knew?"

"I wanted to help her, but I couldn't reveal my own magic. I did help her but…..she made the decision to turn against you. The fear turned into hate" Merlin gulped, looking down, "I wish I could have saved her"

"I don't blame you warlock" Uther then looked at Arthur, "Arthur, what is going on outside?"

"Ah, people have recognised Camelot. The kingdom is rising again in modern day"

"People are coming back? After all of these centuries?"  
"According to the druid prophecies, I am the once and future King. When I died, it was said that when Albion is at its greatest need, I will rise again. So now I am back when Albion needs me, even though Merlin and I aren't completely sure why I am back for, we have received word from Kilgharrah that Camelot needs to back on its feet"

"I agree with him, if we need to be ready for anything that may be coming, Camelot needs to be on defence at its feet. Standing" Merlin said.

"What are those druid prophecies?"

"They we're present thousands of years before we we're born, it said that a great King will rise up and bring magic back to Avalon with the help of a great Sorcerer named Emrys" Merlin explained.

"Gaius told me once that they say that Merlin is the most powerful sorcerer to walk the earth" Arthur added.

"I have heard of this prophecy, so you are this so called Emrys?"

"Yes, it is what the druids call me"

"And you Arthur are this great King"

Arthur nodded, "Yes Father"

"What was the cause of your death Arthur?" Uther finally asked, Merlin flinched a bit making Arthur unsure on how to answer the question. "What's wrong?"

"Father, Merlin is a bit sensitive on that subject…"

"Sensitive? How so?"

"That memory…..is not very pleasant for me" He took a deep breath, with that Arthur refused to have him break down in front of his father, "Merlin, you can wait outside for me" And Merlin nodded in agreement, he walked out of the room.

"We…we're at war with Morgana, many times she has tried to take Camelot. Alongside her was one of my knights who betrayed me, he was the youngest of them all, Mordred. We won the battle but Mordred managed to stab me with his sword. It happened to be forged in a dragon's breath, explained by Gaius the next day after Merlin found me and told me…..he had magic"

He continued on with his Father having a watchful eye on him, "I didn't believe him at first but then he showed me. I was in shock, I was dumbfounded that he was my friend all these years, done all these things to help me though he was a sorcerer. He had lied to me all of these years, I was angry at him for that. However a piece of Mordred's sword was embedded in my chest and couldn't be taken out unless if I was taken to the Lake of Avalon, as I was taken there I saw new sides of Merlin that I have never seen before, he only used his power for me and to protect me. But he didn't use it to light fires or anything else like that, but I had noticed that he was still behaving like the servant he had always been. He had never changed, he had magic but Merlin is still Merlin and that doesn't change who he is. We didn't make it to the lake and I died in his arms, I thanked him for what he had done for me and for Camelot because I knew that is what he ever did"

"Arthur, I think you should read the book that Merlin made. That can't have been an easy task"

"No, I have seen it. The memory terrifies him"

Uther nodded, "I will think about that. I am going to talk to Queen Gwenivere"

"What for Father?"

"For her Father that I wrongfully executed, now, will you excuse me" Uther bowed and left the room with Maree and Merlin came back in silently.

"Are you alright?"

Merlin let out a shaky breath, "I think so. But other than that, we have a Queen to meet today don't we?"

"Queen Elizabeth am I right?"

"Yes, she has been Queen for a very long time, longer than any King or Queen"

"Is there anything that I need to know? Has behaviour between royalties changed?"

"Err…." Merlin thought for a moment, "There are some things"

"Then please teach me, for the moment can you please go to Maree to tell her to take a duty for me. Tell her to watch over the changes in Camelot" Arthur gets a scroll and gives it to Merlin, "And give her this, tell her to read it and she will understand the task at hand"

"Okay, I'll be right back" Merlin turned around to leave but halted, "Oh, before I go-"

Merlin turned back to Arthur and game him a kiss on the cheek, "Good morning Arthur Pendragon" He smiled, leaving Arthur all flushed and dumbfounded as Merlin left the room. It took Merlin seconds to find Maree, she was outside the door next to a shelf with her ear against it, and once she saw him she was startled. As Merlin stared at her, he wanted an explanation of what she was doing there and she could sense it. When she looked around looking for an excuse, only one thing came out of her mouth.

"I….I was looking for woodworm" She said, it was the only excuse she could use since she was next to a wooden shelf. But it didn't work for Merlin, he laughed out loud at the memory of him using that excuse more than once before. But Maree didn't know what the heck was funny so she just looked at him with a puzzled expression. "What?"

"I have already made that excuse _centuries_ ago, you can't fool me"

She gulped, "Well, anyways I have nothing to hide" She stood up from her place, "Just what is going on Merlin?" She asked with her arms crossed.

"What are you talking about?" Merlin was now the one that was puzzled. "You know" She said.

Her eyes then explored his face and then she circled around him, sniffing a bit. "You took a bath last night"

"Yes?"

"Hmmm…" She then went and got a chair, "Sit" She said. "Why?"

"That's an order, sit" She said, "Or would you like me to get you to walk on your knees instead?"

Merlin glanced at her, _"She's becoming a prat"_

But he sat down on the chair without any problem. She let out a hum in response, "Oh, I see….good I suppose"

" _Just what is she on about?"_

"You can get up now" And he got up, Maree put the chair away. She gave him a final glance before her expression went to normal. "Sorry about that Merlin, I must be imagining things. However my nose _never_ lies, so where are you off to?"

Merlin was still confused, "Arthur has duty for you to do today, to watch the changes upon Camelot"

"Oh? Father did? I'd be honoured"

"Here, read this and you'll understand the task at hand" Merlin gave her the scroll and she opened it up to read it, "Ah, I get it. Thank you Merlin and say hi to the Queen for me"

Merlin nodded and she bowed before leaving. Merlin was still extremely confused, he went back inside Arthur's chambers with a puzzled look.

"Is she good with the task?" Arthur noticed him come in. "Ye..s…." Merlin nodded, thinking about what she just did.

Arthur noticed his confusion, "Did she do something?"

"Well, she was next to the shelf for some reason and came up with the woodworm excuse, I think she was overhearing us. She looked at me, sniffed me and made me sit down on a chair…."

"That's odd. Why would she be listening to us? She was weird too yesterday…."

Merlin shook his head from his confusion, "I have no idea what she is on about but…" Merlin then realised something, "She was sniffing me, and then….she came to you…." His head turned, "Hold on a second" He sniffs himself and then he goes up to Arthur and sniffs him too. " _Oh_ " He realised. "Oh what?"

"We have a hint of the same smell"

Arthur then sniffs Merlin and himself, "You're right….are you implying…"

"She knows"

Arthur didn't need an explanation to figure that out, "But then why did she make you sit down on a chair? It's not like we're doing anything stupid in bed…."

Merlin then figured it out, " _Oh_ "

"What is it?"

Merlin's face flushed red, "You really don't want to know" He smirked.

"Come on, tell me"

Merlin took his time to gather his thoughts, "You know….when you er…make babies?"

Arthur's eyes lit up, "Yees….?" Getting slightly awkward.

"You know when you….put it in?"

Arthur nodded, blushing a bit. "For two men to…er…do it…you put it up the one hole you have"

Arthur cleared his throat, "You mean to say…."

Merlin nodded, "Yes"

"Doesn't that hurt?"

"For the first time it is"

"So when she made you sit down….."

Merlin nodded again, "You get it now?"

Arthur's face was just as red as Merlin's now, he cleared his throat again. "Thank you, Merlin for sharing this delicate information with me. I have a kingdom to prepare for a guest. Now will you excuse me…." He got up and left the room.

When the door shut, Merlin let out a stifling laugh. It was so embarrassing yet so funny to see Arthurs face all red.

" _Innocent, completely innocent. They have kissed, shared a scent and bed but haven't done anything"_ Maree thought as she went out into the lower towns. She saw a group of people crowding a small village house, she went over to them and inspected what they we're doing.  
"Kilgharrah, this house seems to belong to Queen Gwenivere…." A worker explained as he approached her. She took a look around and detected some small cuts on a wall, also some writing saying "Gwenivere aged 5" and they went along the wall going up. They happened to be measurements of Gwen as she grew up in this house.

"What shall we do?" The worker asked.

Maree opened and checked her scroll to find underlined, "Leave Gwenievere's house alone by itself. See no changes to it"

"Leave the house alone, you may give it a bit of a clean. Please tend to the others in the villages"

"Yes" The workers bowed their heads and went out to go to the next house. She noticed that they weren't calling her lord or sire or lady. They are unsure on how to address her because she may be a girl but she is also known for Kilgharrah the great dragon who happens to be a male in his previous life. She pardoned them and carried on with her duty.

She is an artist, all her life she had carried herself along her path but she had never imagined that her path would drag her onto another one, its mind bogging, she had found her Father ever since she saw the Lake of Albion and found her other kin in Camelot. Since she was a child she had a sense of another person inside her and would talk to her in her head, she never thought that it was Kilgharrah. However it was difficult to manage a second personality in her life. When she grew up using computers, there were times when the machines would behave strangely, could have been magic but at the same time it couldn't have been when it had been dead. She sighed, _"Well, we never know what our destinies may be, so I'll accept this adventure and see what it brings"_

Then she wondered, how does Kilgharrah feel about Merlin and Arthur being in this sort of relationship? She then felt some uneasiness in her stomach, _"I guess that he doesn't fully appreciate it…."_

She sighed again. _"At least I am not against it, come on Kilgharrah, at least see some reason out of their intentions…besides, love comes to you, they didn't at least choose this"_

She felt him grumble and decided to shake off the feeling, resuming her duties. She found other workers installing plumbing and electricity for phones and security cameras around the castle, and helped carry bricks with magic to make things easier for the workers. It wasn't long until some new maids came into the Castle ready to serve the ever legendary Emrys and Arthur, and she got one too once she noticed a lady standing behind her, after noticing she figured. "Are you my maid?" She asked and the lady nodded, "King Arthur requested me to serve you"

"Thank you, please make yourself comfortable here in Camelot"

"May I ask how I should address you…..my lady?"

"Please call me Maree, Kilgharrah in public would you please"

"Yes my lady"

She had to get used to the feeling of being followed around by a maid, it had some tension but it went away after a while.

"Maree!" She then heard a familiar voice, she turned around to find it and it was Gaius. "Gaius" She said, and then she looked at her maid who looked puzzled to see nothing there.

"I can….see the dead. Just ignore me" She explained before she went over to Gaius. "Hello, what brings you?" She asked.

"Is Uther mad?" He asked, his mouth slightly dropping.

"Uther? Why do you ask?"

"He went to Gwenivere apologising for the execution of her Father, did you do something?!"

She clenched her throat, "Yes we did, and yesterday we got him to see some reason and gave him a book of Arthur and Merlin's legend"

"What kind?!"

"Er…..Merlin's first copy"

"You're serious! I have never seen Uther like that since before Arthur was born, how did you do that?"

"Well…..I should be asking myself that, I don't know how but we managed to get some sense into him. Maybe the legend made him click"

"Even so, Gwenivere was shocked!"

" _Tell me about it…."_

"Where is Arthur and Merlin?"

"They are preparing for a guest this afternoon, I am handling the changes around Camelot. Why?"

"No matter, I was just wondering. What changes around Camelot?"

"You haven't seen? Arthur and Merlin have been recognised as the very King Arthur and Emrys. People are rebuilding Camelot"

"So all of these people are…."  
"Yes"

"The world is now aware of their revival. Camelot is rising up to its feet again, now that Arthur is back we have to be ready for what's coming. He is needed, however we don't know what is the danger"

"Oh I see, I understand the subject at hand. Would you like some help?"

"Let me see…" She opens up the scroll and takes a look, "Ah, would you like to come with me to uncover the round table?"

"The round table? You still have it?"

"Merlin kept everything, they are all back in their original place so is the round table. It was extremely difficult to get it out of the cave where it was kept. It's _huge_ "

"I know how big it is, I would love to come with you"

"Shall we go then?"

Side by side they then went back inside the castle and went to the great hall where the Round table was, with a warm feeling inside, she grabbed the cloth that was covering it and pulled it off revealing dust. She coughed a bit but Gaius was unharmed, he took a moment to look at the round table.

"It's been so long since I have seen this….." He places his hands on the table to feel it. "It has so many memories"

"I can tell, Kilgharrah is smiling proudly inside of me" She said, expressing his smile. "King Arthur and Merlin did an outstanding job in achieving their destinies, and this is part of it" She gives it a feel and then she clicked, she bent down and looked under the table, seeing engraved names that directed towards each chair. "Merlin did this…" She said, _"Another vision came to me…"_

"There are names under the table" She saw engraved, "Arthur" and then she looked at the surface of the table where it said "KING" and then she went to the next chair, and looked under, "Gwenivere" she kept going.

"Gwaine"

"Leon"

"Elyan"

"Percival"

And it went on. But next to King, underneath engraved "Merlin". Merlin must have been Gwen's trusted advisor as Court Sorcerer. And the again underneath was another name, "Arthur Jr" and underneath Merlin's name was "Alina". Arthur Jr must have married then so she moved to the next chair where she spotted "Court Sorcerer", underneath was "Merlin" again. So he moved again as advisor to the next Arthur and his wife.

"The names have a story here Gaius" She said, showing Gaius the engraved names. "I see, so it does"

Merlin then came into the room, "Ah! Maree, there you are. And….the round table! I missed this thing"

"You engraved names on the bottom of the table Merlin…"

He turned his head, "Yes, how did you know that?"

"A vision came to me"

Merlin got a little concerned, "I am beginning to think that you inherited that ability from Morgana. Do you get dreams of the future?"

She shook her head. "Thank goodness you don't. She was a seer, she would get visions of the future but it seems that you get visions of the past. We will have to look into that"

"If I get any dreams, I'll let you know"

"Please do" Then thanks to the potions effect that he drank the same morning, he detected Gaius next to her. "Gaius! How are you feeling?"

"I am well my boy, I was tagging along with Maree to see the Round Table again"

"I see" He approaches the table and gives it a feel, he smiled. "It is a bit dusty…" He gets a rag from his pocket and gives the table a clean.

"How are your nightmares Merlin? Have you been having them lately?" Gaius asked.

"My nightmares? They have faded"

"How?"

"Arthur has been keeping me company at night"

Maree gave him a look, _"You mean he has been sleeping with you at night"_

"Arthur? Keeping you company? Then where did he sleep?"

Merlin's face blushed a bit, his cleaning slowed down. "Er….he didn't sleep on the floor, or on a chair…."

"He slept with you?!" Gaius blabbered and Merlin slammed the table. "Yes"

"At least you two are okay with it, just don't do anything unnecessary"

"He hasn't, I've tested that" Maree said and Merlin glared at her, "You _prat_ "

"Oh? Did you figure out what I did?" She gave him a teasing smile _identical_ to Arthurs. "I did, and I had to explain it to Arthur"

"Ohhhhhhhhh man!" She burst out laughing.

" _Maree, you have my stupid brain and Arthur's devious smile, now I feel like Arthur…."_

"That must have been terrible"

"It was, thank you very much"

She sniggered, but Gaius was just puzzled. "You don't want to hear it" Merlin said, sighing. "If you say so" Gaius said.

He sighed again, _"We have to tell them sooner or later…."_

Merlin finishes cleaning the table and see's Arthur come into the room, "Ah, Merlin, Gaius. Maree I can see that you have been doing your duties successfully" Arthur approached them.

"Are the preparations done?" Merlin asked. "Yes, we are all ready to go" Arthur nodded, "How do I look?"

Merlin tugged his shirt and belt a bit, "Perfect, you are all ready to go"

"Great, the Queen should be coming here any minute. Will you join me at the front entrance?"

"I will be honoured to do so Arthur"


	28. Chapter 28 - Bind me

_Merlin laid in bed, whining at the pain of his horrible nightmares, tears poured out of his eyes as he clenched onto the bed sheets. He cried and they were burning his throat, they won't stop and they won't leave him alone._

 _He awoke with a scream, he grabbed sight of the ceiling above him and gasped for breath. He inhaled air with quick short breaths, he was terrified. Glad that he was back into reality free of the memories, he took his time to calm down and take control of himself. His body then relaxed from being tense and let it drop and sink into the sheets. He was exhausted, not physically but mentally exhausted, he was getting sick of these nightmares and they are horrifyingly painful but he knew that after a while the more he experiences them, the number he will become and the less he will feel. But when it comes to Arthur, he breaks down in seconds._

 _Gwen was kind enough to offer him Arthur's chambers that he had as a prince, the sheets reminded him of his scent and that soothed him enough to get the nightmares away sometimes. He grabbed the sheets again and nuzzled his nose into the pillow._

" _Arthur…." He thought, there was no more Gaius to go to, Gwaine was killed by Morgana, Kilgharrah is dead and eventually he will be forced to see everyone else die. Arthur was gone and there was nothing he could do about it, he felt completely alone._

 _Letting tears escape from his eyes again, he snuggled into the bed as deep and as comfortable as he could get._

 _Then he swore he heard small steps coming in. He lifted his head to see what it was but he dropped his head quickly after that, too tired to bother._

" _Mr Wizard?" A little voice squeaked in front of him, his eyes shot open to see a little boy in front of his eyes, grabbing at the surface of the bed. "Why are you so sad?" He asked._

" _Shouldn't you be in bed young one?" Merlin reached out a hand and patted his head. "I can't, not with my tummy hurting" He whined. "Is there something wrong with your tummy?"_

" _When you're sad, it hurts"_

 _He realised, "He can sense me…..he has magic. Arthur's little boy has magic…."_

" _I'm sorry, Mr Wizard isn't feeling okay either"_

" _Are you lonely? Don't you have any friends?" he asked._

" _Yes I do, your Mama is my friend"_

" _But do you have other friends?" He crawled up the bed and Merlin shook his head, "No, they're gone"_

" _They're gone? Won't they come back?"_

" _Not for a very long time"_

" _How long?" Little Arthur settled himself on top of Merlin._

" _I don't know, maybe for thousands of years"_

" _You won't be able to live for that long!"_

" _I can, I can live forever because I am magic, I am Emrys"_

" _Emrys is your name?"_

" _That's what the druids call me"_

" _What's your real name then?"_

" _Merlin"_

" _Merin" he tried to say his name for the first time, Merlin chuckled a bit. "What's your other friend's name?"_

 _Merlin smiled, "Arthur Pendragon, your Father"_

" _Daddy?" Little Arthur squeaked in interest, "You knew my Papa?"_

 _Merlin nodded, "He was the greatest King of all Albion, and my best friend"_

" _What was he like?"_

" _He was…..the greatest man I ever knew, but he was annoying sometimes but kind as well. I was his manservant and served him"_

" _You were a servant? Magic people aren't servants"_

" _No, but magic was banned at that time"_

" _It wasn't allowed?"_

 _Merlin shook his head, "No"_

" _What is magic like? Mama says that I have to be careful around people that have it"_

" _You want to see something?"_

 _Arthur nodded his head. "Yeah! Show me, show me!" he bounced up and down._

" _Okay"_

" _But you will have to be careful, can you be careful for me?"_

" _Yeah! I'll be careful!"_

" _Now, cup your hands" Merlin cups the boys hands, "Now say_ _Forbearnan"_

 _The boy tried saying the word a couple of times before getting it right "Forbearnan"_

 _And a tiny flame emitted by his hand, he squealed in delight. "Sssh, you don't want Mama to hear you"_

" _Ssssh!' the boy shushed. "Secret from Mama?"_

" _It's a secret from Mama"_

 _Arthur giggled before yawning. "Sleepy….."_

" _You want to rest here with me?"_

 _The boy nodded, rolling to the side and Merlin took hold of him to tuck him in bed, the little boy snuggled up to Merlin making him smile which gave him a bit of warmth in his heart. "Tell me more about Daddy tomorrow….?" Arthur asked._

" _I will, after I finish teaching you"_

" _What about some magic? Can we do that too?"_

" _We can, in a hiding place"_

" _Hiding place?!"_

" _Yeah, go to sleep. You'll need it"_

"Merlin?"

Merlin nudged a little bit at the sound, he mumbled a bit. "Meeerliiin, gods, how long does it take for you to wake up?" Arthur gave him another nudge.

"Errrrf…" Merlin mumbled, he had a he smile across his face and Arthur was grinning at him for whatever he may be dreaming about. All of his attempts had failed so far, so he grinned to his own idea, getting out of bed and grabbing Merlin's magic book. Flipping through pages, Arthur was eager to have a bit of revenge.

"Let's see what you have in your magic book Merlin…" He goes through some pages and finds one to his liking, he mouths the spell at first to get it right and then he looks at Merlin, _"Okay, let's see if this works Merlin"_

"Brimstréam" And suddenly a bucket load of water landed on Merlin's head from nowhere, and it worked. He woke up in seconds, wondering what the heck just happened. "Arthur?"

"Whoa, it worked" Arthur was surprised that magic actually worked with him. Merlin got up utter dumbfounded, "What just happened?"

"What did you think happened?"

"I was dreaming about your son….we were doing magic together and then he did a spell….then all of a sudden he got a bucket of water on me. Then woke up…..how am I wet?". Arthur gave him a look, then Merlin saw the book in his hands. "You didn't…..is that my.."

"Yes, you wouldn't wake up so I decided to do a little revenge. How does Gaius wake you up in the morning?"

"You did not!" Merlin jumped out of bed and tried to get the book back.

"Yes I did, and I can, I am the King Arthur of Camelot or am I not?"

"Yes, you are the pratty King Arthur of Camelot that has taken my book and used magic-"Arthur dodged Merlin, "You're the one who failed to wake up"

"Yes, with water. Thank you very much" Merlin reached out for the book again and Arthur pushed him away, Merlin's arms scrambling to try and reach the book but to no avail. "Come- on- just- give- me-" Arthur let go of his hand that was placed on Merlin's face and pulled him in to claim his mouth. "Mphh.." Merlin was instantly captured by the King's tongue and it had started conquering new lands, his mind was immediately swept away, his thoughts now focused on the intense waves of pleasure that Arthur was sending down his mouth. His hands dropped down and Arthur dropped the book, his hands meeting Merlin's to enclose their hands together. Merlin was amazed by the feeling, being able to interact with him and touch him like this again, he didn't want it to ever end. He had missed him so much and after a few centuries of his death he had realised how much he had really loved him, while he was waiting while the world grew and changed, Arthur was too, waiting all alone in the darkness of the lake, he too felt the same. Their lips parted as soon as they needed to catch their breath but they both had soft smiles on their faces.

"Hey.." Merlin's hand traced down to Arthur's stomach, to the place where Mordred's blade pierced him, there was a small scar left behind in that very spot and he sighed a bit. "It's there"

"You'll probably have a few from the training we've had. Oh" Arthur pulled up Merlin's right sleeve and found one scar. "I remember this, your first battle wound"

"Yeah, I had to fix your tunic the next day after that though" Merlin's smile brightened, remembering the good memories.

The maid knocked on the door, Arthur let her in and allowed her to lay their breakfast down on the table before leaving. "Want some breakfast?"

"Maybe, we had such a big feast with the Queen last night. Maree had a small appetite, I'm surprised how small her stomach is"

"She's got Morgana's appetite, she didn't eat much either at dinner either. But she watches her diet, unlike you, you scoffed everything"

"I did not scoff everything!"

"You did, for a moment there I thought you forgot your manners. You must have been tremendously hungry, no wonder you have little appetite for breakfast"

"It's just that the food tasted so good"

"I have to agree with you on that, modern food is really nice. And the new invention of chocolate, bananas and pineapple are really sweet tasting things"

"Back when they we're discovered, only rich people could afford them, and they didn't eat the fruit, they displayed them to show how rich they were"

"They must have been royalty"

"No, really, they we're commoners. People were split into three groups, the rich, the middle and the low which are the poor, the rich ones had the most rights among all others within the industrial revolution times"

"Oh"

"Over time, more and more people were able to afford gold, silver, even diamonds"

"They have become more affordable?"

"Yes and no, people get paid for their jobs and now they get a lot of money so they are able to buy those sorts of things"

"I see. So things have become much easier for people in the day"

"Yes it has, we should go outside to see Albion sometime. Meet your people perhaps, take a look around at the modern world"

"That isn't a bad idea Merlin, we should take a tour. And leave a Kingdom empty?"

"Maree can take care of that, you can teach her how to do her duty as a princess today if you would like to and someday when you think she is ready, we can go out"

"We? Together? Sounds more of a date"

Merlin chuckled, "It won't be when you have guards to protect you everywhere"

"I don't need guards, I have you. What's the use if I can't have you?"

Merlin blushed a bit. "Seriously, how many times have I scrambled around Camelot shouting your name to await your services?"

"What about George?"

"It was shocking to have a proper servant, I preferred having you"

"You liked me that much?"  
"A good servant is hard to come by"

"I am a terrible servant"

"You're not, I didn't want to admit that that's all. Surely you knew that"

Merlin blushed red a bit more, "You admit that?"

"What's not to admit? You've said so too"

"When?"

"When you said that you cared for my armour and didn't want it to get wrecked, you were talking about me weren't you?"

Merlin recalled the memory, "I was"

"See? It's always been there Merlin"

"So if we're brothers then why do we kiss?"

"It's….an expression of affection?"

Merlin nodded, "I agree with you on that"

Maree was sneaking around again with her ear to the door, the guards gave her weird looks but ignored her to focus on their posts. She thought about leaving but- "Maree" Gwen interrupted and she yelped, the guards almost jumped from their places.

"Oh, I'm sorry I didn't mean to frighten you" Gwen apologised. "No, it's okay Gwen. What brings you to me?"

"I wish to see Arthur"

She chuckled at her choice of words, "You don't need to ask permission Gwen, you are the Queen"

"Not anymore"

"Gwen, Arthur and Merlin know you and you are always welcome here. If you want to see him please take pleasure in doing that without asking for permission" She said, is what she would definitely say but she can't go in there with what Merlin and Arthur are doing.

"Catch Merlin!" they heard from a distance. Inside her chest she felt a sigh of relief, Gwen smiled. "Hey! That's cheating Merlin!" They heard again, "I do it because I can Arthur"

"Then do it without magic"

"Ow!"

Then Arthur let out a burst of laughter. "See?!"

Gwen then took the pleasure in knocking on the door. "Come in" Arthur called and she went in. While Arthur and Merlin saw nothing they realised what they had to do. "Merlin, where are the potions?" Arthur asked and Merlin opened a cupboard to get them both a potion which they drunk straight away, ignoring the taste Arthur turned to who the spirit was. "Gwen" He breathed and then looked at himself, "Forgive myself for being in such an attire, I am not dressed…" Then he turned to Merlin who wasn't dressed either. He grabbed one of his robes and put it over himself, looking back at Arthur. "Hello Gwen"

Gwen smiled at the two, "You are forgiven, and how are you two?"

Arthur looked at Merlin again, exchanging glances. "Never been better" Merlin said. "Oh, I'm so glad that you are better Merlin, that brings me great relief. Even more relief when your Father talked to me yesterday" Gwen turned to Arthur. "He did mention"

"He apologised to me for executing my Father, I thought I was dreaming" She chuckled. "I am glad that he did so, we don't know how but we we're able to direct him to see reason"

"Bless you two, his soul will rest soon enough and maybe someday he can be a happier man"

"We couldn't have done it without Maree who got us into it"

Gwen turned to Maree behind her, "Your daughter?"

"You told her?" Arthur asked Maree and she nodded, "There's nothing to lie about"

Arthur gave Merlin a glance, "Thank you Maree. Gwen, let us explain"

Gwen nodded, "Maree here is blood related to both myself and Merlin, she was born by the use of magic upon the lake of Avalon, we don't know how but the information that we have found so far tells us that she is indeed blood related to us"

"So you two have had no idea that she was even born?"

They both nodded. "I understand your situation Arthur, poor girl" She turned to Maree, "Did you grow up without them?"

"Yes, I grew up with another family. But I was happy"

"That's good to know, thank you for telling me personally. Take good care of her"

"I will"  
Maree smiled, "I know that he will, Kilgharrah and himself have gotten along nicely"

"You know?"

"Yes, I remember what he says if you haven't noticed. But that isn't the only thing that he has noticed especially me, he is a bit quiet about it"

Merlin and Arthur went a bit quiet, "Excuse us for a second" Arthur and Merlin looked at each other and went into Arthur's antechambers leaving a confused Gwen and Maree. Gwen then turned to Maree to question her, "What are you talking about Maree?"

"That is for Merlin and Arthur to say, it is not in my place to speak of it" She shrugged, looking at Gwen's confusion and sighed rubbing her neck. Gwen pressed her lips together into a thin line, "Okay" She reassured herself.

Ten minutes later Merlin and Arthur came back properly dressed, they we're a bit silent and they both sighed, but after exchanging glances they relaxed a bit. "Shall we go outside into Gaius chambers? We would like to talk to Kilgharrah"

Maree nodded, "Understood"

They went to Gaius chambers and left the front door shut. "Stand side Gwen will you please?" Merlin advised and Gwen stayed next to Arthur whilst Merlin called Kilgharrah out, as he emerged his neck stretched out to Merlin with a concerned look on his face. "Warlock, I see that you want to speak to me"

Gwen became wide eyed at the sight of the dragon, Kilgharrah then turned to her. "Good day to you Queen Gwenivere, it is nice to meet you in this form"

"Greetings, Its seems that we are here upon Merlin and Arthur's request"

Kilgharrah nodded and then looked at Merlin, "Young warlock there is no prophecy on this subject, so there is nothing I can say on this"

"All what matters is what you think friend" Merlin said. Kilgharrah's mood lightened up a bit, "I have no arguments against this Merlin, because of your mental state this has arisen some deep emotions inside of you. The only thing I am concerned about is your choice in this and how you handle it"

Merlin gulped, "Yes, I understand your point" Kilgharrah snorted at the response of his dragon lord, "Ease down warlock, it's alright" he moves his snout against Merlin and moves him towards Arthur and smiles.

"Okay, what is going on?" Gwen was really confused now. And Arthur looked at her, "Remember what I said to you about what if I fall in love again?"

Gwen nodded, "Yes"

Merlin looked at Arthur with surprise, "You what?"

"I love Merlin" Arthur said, his voice nearly cracked and Merlin smiled. "Arthur…"

"He's my first concern, due to his mental health the past hurt will be difficult to get over. Centuries even and I can't just….leave him. He's my other side of the coin"

Gwen smiled, "Oh Arthur, I completely understand Merlin's condition"

Arthur was taken aback, "You do?"

"Your son would sometimes sleep with him to give him some comfort, I was always worried for him"

"You mentioned that you dreamed of him this morning"

Merlin nodded, "Yes, I did. The first time he approached me in my chambers, I discovered his magic"

"I remember finding out when little Arthur was performing a little flame upon his hands in secret when I found him"

"She wasn't particularly happy" Merlin said guiltily. "He went into my chambers because he would sense me with magic"

"He did didn't he?"

"Other than that Arthur, I know you love Merlin. And you should take care of him, since you haven't noticed I have been watching you two for a while and you have been keeping him happy. And no one makes him happy like you do"

"It's true" Gaius said from behind and they almost yelped at the sound, they looked at Gaius. "I have never seen Merlin pull a single smile after you we're gone, as if he lost himself"

"I know, he told me himself. I have waited in a lake for him as well so I know how he feels, just to see all the people he loves die while he lives, it's like a curse and he can't live without someone standing beside him"

"Arthur" Merlin took Arthur's attention, "I really appreciate how worried you are for me, I love you too. Remember when you said that you hoped that you would be immortal?"

"Yes"

"I can bind myself to you, if that's what you want. I'd like that too, being around a prat for the rest of my life"

"You can do that Merlin?"

"Yes but it will make you a part of magic, like I am. I am not a human being, I am magic, always have and always will be"

"That is extremely risky Merlin!" Gaius gasped, "What if you lose him in the process?"

"Then it is a risk that we will have to take" Arthur said, "Immortal or not, I am staying with Merlin"

Maree stepped in, "If anything happens, I can look after him…."

"If the binding fails?" Arthur asked and Maree nodded. Suddenly Merlin was surprised that they we're worried about him. "Maree I don't think that is necessary, the binding will work I'm sure"

"But what if it goes wrong?"

Merlin took a breath, "I will take you and myself and use Excalibur to kill myself"

Arthur's eyes widened, "You'd…do that?"

"There is nowhere better than being at your side"

"Wouldn't that be painful for you?"

"I have tried drowning myself a couple of times resulting with failure in the past. If you die….I go along with you" Lifting his chin up, Merlin had his arms behind his back as if he was a servant again centuries ago. Arthur wasn't surprised, Merlin was eager to die for him centuries ago, he wouldn't expect any less of him to do that.

"Merlin…would you like to bind me?"

Merlin opened his mouth and then shut it again, "Yes, but you must understand the circumstances of the binding. Only Excalibur is able to kill either of us"

Arthur looked at his sword on his belt, it wasn't anytime soon that he would kill himself or Merlin in a way and surely there we're no more dragons, so this would be the only possible weapon in the world that can kill them. Arthur gave it a tight grip and then looked back at Merlin. "I understand, but's not like this sword is going to be in the hands of anyone stupid right?"

Merlin chuckled, "You're the only one who can wield this sword, of course not"

Arthur smiled back at Merlin, "So will you do it?"

"There is nothing that I would like more my lord"

"Merlin" Arthur stops before Merlin could give him a hug, "Call me Arthur please"

"Arthur"

"Thank you, now can I please have that hug?" Arthur asked and Merlin smiled again, giving Arthur a hug, wrapping his arms around him and squeezing him tight happily. "Golly Merlin you're stronger than you think" Arthur gasped at the feeling, returning the squeeze. "Actually, you are stronger" Merlin gasped for breath after Arthur started crushing his bones. "Let go before you start crushing me…." And Arthur loosened his grip, hugging him gently.

" _This feels….quite pleasant…."_ Merlin thought, feeling a source of happiness in his chest. Arthur wants to stay by his side and he became overwhelmed with the feeling.

"Merlin…are you crying?" Arthur suddenly became worried once he started hearing Merlin's sobs, his hands started clenching at his clothes, grabbing on as he cried into Arthur's shoulder. "It's okay Arthur…I…."  
Arthur waited for his response.

"I'm so happy…" He sniffed, Arthur's heart dropped. "Merlin…." He raised a hand to Merlin's hair and lightly stroked him before dropping them both to their knees. "Let it out Merlin" He stroked him gently, "I'm here" he said before taking Merlin off his shoulder before it gets wet, he then meets two blue eyes full of tears and a smile on his face, his hands cupped his face while his thumbs wiped the tears and Merlin brushed his cheeks against his hands as if he was purring.

"There you go" Arthur was relieved after seeing Merlin smile, he gets a rag and wipes Merlin's face. "Wash your face before the Queen see's you. She will be staying here a couple of days remember?"

"All thanks to a great day yesterday"

"It was, I have to agree. You being a show off with your magic"

"She was impressed with your choice of words Arthur, and liked your stories"

They smiled at each other and noticed that Gwen and Gaius were gone. "Where are they?" Merlin asked Kilgharrah. "Warlock, spirits are here for a reason. An unfulfilled duty and that was to watch over you to make sure that you are alright and that has been fulfilled"

"Their souls have been brought to peace, I am going to miss them" Arthur said. Merlin agreed, "But you're here with me, and that isn't going to change"

Arthur nodded, "Good, keep your mind that way. I'll get your magic book, I dropped it our chambers"

"Actually….the book I need is somewhere in these shelves, could you bring my book back to me though?"

"Of course Merlin, I will let the Queen know that you are not present"

"Will you be needing me, my lord?" Kilgharrah asked. "Yes, I will need you to guard me for a while in Merlin's place"

Merlin settled Kilgharrah back into his human form. Maree approached Arthur after they all got up, "When would be the best to bind us?" Arthur asked Merlin.  
"Tonight will be best, the later the better"

"Good, I'll be with the Queen for the day. Come Maree"

Maree nodded and followed her Father.


	29. Chapter 29 - The visit

"Is Merlin not going to be present with us today?" the Queen asked Arthur when he greeted her, Maree felt a bit nervous but not as much like the day before. She tried her best in her formal language and tried not to trip anywhere like Merlin supposedly did.

"No, I am afraid that he will not be with us today. He is attending to a task that must be looked into"

"I see, I will pardon him, he is a lovely man"

"Thank you your highness, I trust that you have had a nice breakfast?"

"Yes, it was lovely, thank you. You have a wonderful chef here"

Judging Arthur's confused looks, Maree whispered into Arthur's ear. "It's another word for cook, but they're in charge of the kitchen, there is the main chef and other cooks that work in different parts of the workplace that work under the main chef"

"Yes, I get it, thank you Maree" Arthur nodded before looking back at the Queen, "Merlin thought that it would be a bright idea to take a tour around England to see the modern world and explore since that I have not seen the country or either the world"

"That would be a splendid idea for you King Arthur, people would be overjoyed to see you"

"I do not see why I should not. However, it is an idea for the future, I have yet to teach my daughter about the roles and the responsibility of being a ruler in Camelot as my Father taught me at her age"

Maree was surprised to hear that from her Fathers lips and was then excited to be taught. "I agree, would you like someone to come help you? My grandson Prince William will be arriving here today for a visit, he would be happy to help you"

"I have to agree, I have only come back a few weeks ago, will he help update my knowledge? I have had Merlin teach me some new behaviour skills yesterday"

"He would love to"

"When is he set to arrive?"

"He should arrive before lunch"

"Thank you your highness, I will meet him at the citadel when he is set to arrive" Arthur bowed. At that time Maree's ears flickered and she could sense something wrong, within her good eye sight she saw someone suspicious, it has a weapon. A gun and it was pointing straight at Arthur. Her eyes flickered gold and time stopped for a moment and she heard a long gunshot, without hesitating she went out and stopped the bullet before catching it. Without thinking she yelled "Security!" and the time resumed, Arthur was befuddled by what just happened. "What just…"

Maree then showed him the bullet, "Someone tried to kill you Father" She said and they heard yells as the guards came out to arrest the man.

"How did you do that? It was the fastest weapon that I have ever seen"

"Magic" She said.

Then Merlin appeared in the room in a huff, once he saw Arthur he gasped with horror and then almost stumbled. "Merlin!" Arthur exclaimed at the sight of his brother looking all white in the face.

"Arthur…." Merlin said in a panic. He went over to Arthur and checked his body, "Are you hurt? Are you shot? Are you injured?" He muttered through words, panicking. "I felt your magic, that you we're in danger and heard the gunshot-"

Arthur grabbed a hold of Merlin and shook him, "I'm alright Merlin, I'm safe, unharmed, thanks to Maree, and she saved my life. Now calm down"

Merlin looked at him again, "Are you sure?"

"Yes, now breathe" Arthur tightened his grip on him and got him to start breathing slowly, "In….and out…good Merlin"

"We're lucky that we have Maree, otherwise you'd be dead…either way I'd still be beside you"

"Yes"

Merlin's breathing slowed down and he relaxes, "Are you alright now?"

Merlin nodded, "Good" Arthur loosened his grip on Merlin, "We will have to maintain your panic attacks in the future, they have a grip on your mental health a bit, you could have collapsed on the spot with you that white in the face"

"Yes Arthur, I will work on it. They will go down as soon as we do the procedure, I'm just a little jittery at the moment"

"Okay Merlin, can you get up right?" Arthur asked as Merlin's legs we're still a bit wobbly, almost out of energy. Merlin looked down and noticed, "Oh" he breathed, "Yeah" He adjusted his legs and straightened himself up. "Thank you"

It was suddenly awkward, the Queen was there wondering what was going on with the two. "Please let us be excused, Merlin has some….mental issues"

Merlin gave Arthur a side glance. "Of course" The Queen replied.

And Arthur and Merlin went straight out with Maree following them after. "I'll have to raise the guards around here"

"Security" Maree corrected. "Yes, even if it's for the day"

"I have to agree, the Queen is with us for the week"

""Have you found the right spell or whatever you are looking for?" Arthur asked Merlin, "Yes, I have found it"

"Good, do you have your hands full?"

"No"

"You can come with me then, the more the better"

Merlin smiled and followed Arthur, _"Now I have two warlocks following me. It's going to have some getting used to"_

"So where are we going?" Merlin asked. "To library, to teach Maree"

"Oh goody, you're going to teach her how to be a prat"

Both Arthur and Maree glared at him, "Point taken" And they kept on walking on to the library. "The Queens grandson Prince William will be coming this afternoon before lunch, he will be assisting us as in Maree's teaching"

"That will be nice, he is a good man"

Once they arrived at the library, they found a table in the corner and got some chairs to sit on before Arthur goes and gets some books to place on the table.

"We will be seeing him at the citadel before he arrives. So, let's start" The books hit the table hard with a slam. Maree curiously scooped the books up and opened it to the first page, her eyes widened. "What's wrong?" Merlin asked.

"This…Brittonic is quite advanced…." She goes on reading, "I can't understand half of it"

"How did you learn it in the first place?" Arthur asked curiously, the common language now is English and Merlin had to teach him the language when he bumped into it at some point in the history books, the rest of it was done with a spell.

"Duh, I collected so many books it forced me to look it up and learn. Very slowly though, it isn't used anymore"

"First of all, use formal language. No swearing" Arthur corrected her. "That means, not calling me an idiot or telling me to shut up" Merlin added and Arthur rolled his eyes. Maree looked at them and asked "Does this include Merlin?"

"No"

"Heey" Merlin looked offended but he knew that he was just joking. "I'm the King Merlin, it doesn't matter if I knight you I can call you an idiot as much as I want"

"Does this include the Queen then?" Maree asked and Arthur felt like that he was just been slapped in the face. "Leave the Queen out of this"

"Yes _sire_ " Maree said sarcastically and Merlin just grinned at her. "You have a very good mouth"

"Why _thank you_ Merlin" Maree said and they we're both at the point of breaking apart laughing. "She's good at it already" Merlin said to Arthur. "Shut up Merlin"

"Could you make that into formal language?" Maree asked in wonder.

Arthur settled himself to come up with a good way to shut him up. "Merlin, would you kindly, please…" then he had to come up with something not intense as shut up but something to say to him straight "Stich it"

Merlin hummed in response, "Of course sire" And he closed his mouth. "I will expect it to be closed when William is here too"

" _Does talking to your head count?"_ Merlin said in Arthur's head. Arthur frowned for a second, and shook his head. _"Arrrrthurrr"_ He heard the voice again, this time he knew that he wasn't imagining things, he turned his head to Merlin who was smirking. "Are you talking in my head?"

Merlin nodded and Arthur sighed heavily _"It seems that you don't seem to let anything get through that thick skull of yours, now shut up Merlin"_ Arthur responded. Merlin flinched, _"You have magic"_

" _I do?"_

" _Yes, only Mordred or either of the druids can communicate with me like this"_

" _Guys, I can hear you too ya know"_ Maree responded. _"It seems that we all have magic"_ Merlin said.

"Can we all just talk normally?" Arthur asked and Merlin didn't answer, he just kept his mouth shut. "Uh, you ordered him to stitch it remember?" Maree reminded him.

Arthur sighed, "Let's just get onto the lesson, Merlin, can you teach Maree Brittonic further?"

" _Sure, no problem. Just give me a moment"_ Merlin gets up from his seat and puts his hands around Maree's head before enchanting a spell. When Merlin did this to Arthur, he was shocked at the feeling of having a new language in his head at first but Maree seemed to have some experience so when Merlin finished the spell Maree started reading again and nodded. "I can read all of this now, thank you Merlin!"

" _No problem"_ And Merlin sat back down onto his chair.

"Are there other languages that you know?" Arthur asked her. "Aside from sign language and English, I also know Japanese"

"What does that look like?"

She grabs a piece of paper and a pencil to write a simple sentence, it showed "こにちわ私わマリイさん。お元気ですか？"

"Such weird runes….." Arthur commented. "It's a good language though, would you like me translate it?" Merlin spoke.

"Feel free to Merlin"

"It says, Hello, I am Maree. Are you well?"

"How many languages do you know Merlin?"

"Erm…French, Italian, Latin, Chinese, Russian, Irish, Malaysian, Tagalog, Indonesian, Spanish, Danish, Greek, Sign language, Japanese, and Brittonic of course and English"

"You have a very big story to tell" Arthur gaped at his long list of languages. "I taught myself, except for half of them"

"Lazy"

"I just didn't have the time I guess"

"Let us start lesson one, I'll teach you what my Father taught me"

"Except for the fact that sorcerers are evil?" Merlin asked. "Yes"

"Good, let's do this"

Maree then started reading through the book with curiosity. "Shall I take notes?" She asked. "Please do, if that makes you feel comfortable"

"Okay, I'll be back in a moment" Maree got up from the chair, "May I be excused?"

Arthur was confused but let her go, and she returned back with a flat stone looking thing….with an apple rune on it. "I hope you don't mind technology" She sat down and opened it up, then she started typing on the thing with clicks that filled Arthur's ears. "This technology is damn noisy….what is that thing?"

"It's called a laptop Arthur, you could play with it later when you get the chance"

Maree's had looked at the pages and back at the laptop once at a time as she went through the book, meanwhile Arthur got curious and watched what she was doing on the screen. And Merlin went on exploring in the library and suddenly remembered something, the goblin. Where did Uther put it? He had forgotten all about it, it hadn't been disturbed for centuries. So he went to the secret compartment and went looking inside, he couldn't find it but found something new, there was a door. He opened it, regretting the fact that he had forgotten the room and everything had rusted away. And he found the very same leather container that held the goblin prisoner with rusted chains around it that tied it down to the floor. He was surprised that the container was still strong, maybe, just maybe, the goblin could still be alive and it might be keeping the wood alive. So he crouched down to the container and spoke, "Hello?"

The container moved an inch. "Hello?!" He spoke louder and the container shook under the shackles of the chains.

All magic creatures are gone, all except for this one. He felt a smile widen upon his lips, but he doubted that he was going to free him, not again. Not after what it did to Gaius. And…well, Arthur and the donkey ears. Ok, he didn't regret that part, it was too good. Hahaha. He got up and left the secret compartment back to Arthur.

"Guess what I found" Merlin smiled and Arthur raised his head from the laptop, "What?"

"The goblin that gave your donkey ears"

"That goblin?! I thought you said that all magical creatures we're all gone"

"I forgot all about this one"

"Well whatever you do, don't do anything with it. I don't want the whole world laughing at me, keep it locked down"

"Yes Arthur" He had to agree but snorted at the memory. "Are you sure? It was funny though"

" _Merlin_ "

"Yes sire"

Arthur, Merlin and Maree went to the citadel to meet Prince William, Merlin propped him up earlier to get his crown and place it upon his head. The King had smiled upon Merlin telling him that he was the only person worthy of doing that, flattening Merlin.

And he stood right beside him as cars came into the citadel.

"These are automobiles aren't they? Convenient transport aren't they?" Arthur said, "Yes, though I prefer horses instead"

"Me too, motorcycles are a bit scary though"

"You've ridden a motorcycle?!"

"Yes, Maree's fault. She used one to get us to Camelot after I returned"

Merlin gave Maree a look and she looked back at him, "What?"

But no time, Merlin had to straighten himself up as Prince William got out of the car along with a woman with a child in her arms and a little boy walking along with the help of his Father.

Arthur was surprised by the welcome of his family and the little boy squealed, "King Arthur!"

"That's right, it's King Arthur. He has come back" William smiled at his son, letting him approach Arthur. He stopped in front of him and bowed, "It is nice to meet you King Arthur" He squealed with a small voice. Arthur crouched down the young boy, "It is nice to meet you too, what is your name?"

"George, I am furee"

Arthur chuckled lightly, "It is a pleasure to meet you George"

"He is a very big fan of you when I started telling stories about you" William said, chuckling to himself, "He is a bright one is he?"

"Yes he is" Then he turned to his wife, "This is my wife, Catherine and my daughter Charlotte"

"It is a pleasure to meet you" Arthur approached her and bowed. "It is an honour to have you with us for lunch today" He said with Merlin beside him, Maree stayed up on the stairs. "I am King Arthur, and this is Merlin" He turned to him.

"Your majesties" Merlin bowed.

"You are the legendary sorcerer Merlin?" They asked. Then William took a good look at him before he realised something, "I know you from somewhere"

"Do you? He has lived for centuries, surely some people may know him" Arthur said. Merlin looked down a bit, "I served your Mother"

"That's right! You did, I remember seeing you when I was a boy" William exclaimed, Merlin looked back up again to look at him. "Yes, I recall you doing that"

"I remember you as the strange man, because some weird things kept happening sometimes"

Arthur looked at Merlin, "Merlin, have you been protecting other royal people other than myself?" he asked and Merlin nodded, "It is the least that I can do, even without magic at the time"

William smiled, "Why were you there in the first place? To have such a powerful sorcerer serving my Mother?"

Merlin looked down again, "There was once a cave called the crystal cave, it is the birthplace of magic. I once went there to watch over the royal family and…. Foresaw your Mother's death" He gulped. "They showed me memories, and even thought magic I wanted to save her. Do something that I could not do for Arthur"

William gulped, "I couldn't save her. I am sorry, if I had my magic, she would have been alive"

"So that is why you left and I never saw you again"

Merlin nodded, "I left for Kryle castle and served there for a while"

"Merlin, you do not have to blame yourself. You did what you could have done" William assured himself. "The crash was an accident and no one is to blame for it"

"It was, and we must see to the future. Arthur is back" Merlin looked to Arthur who was rubbing his back and smiled. Arthur smiled back, "Welcome, shall we have lunch inside while it is hot?"

"Yes, let us"

And they all went inside to dine in the dining hall, all many kinds of foods stacked up and ready for the royal. Merlin's eyes travelled all over the foods, his eyes shining gold for anything that is poisonous. And sat down instantly when he found nothing poisoned. Soon after the Queen Elizabeth joined in. "Grandmother, lovely to see you" William bowed.

"Nice for you to join us" Arthur said, letting himself be seated by one of the maids. "Excuse Merlin for sitting so fast, he is not used to being treated like a royal member"

"He is not?" Catherine said, seating her son and daughter in a proper chair for them.

"When I was prince, he accidentally became my manservant"

"He was your manservant?! Who makes a legendary sorcerer a manservant?"

"I didn't know that he had magic, or that he was Emrys at that point. Magic was banned by my Father Uther Pendragon"

"Oh?"

"You can keep listening to their stories, they are very exciting" The Queen said.

And they kept on listening. "This is Maree, my daughter" Arthur introduced, looking at the silent girl that is politely eating her lunch. She looked up, "Hello, it is nice to meet you"

"Your daughter? Who is the mother?"

"She is born with magic, by magic. She has Merlin and my blood"

"Strange"

"I am afraid to say that it is, it is a bit strange. When we found out we were shocked"

"I could imagine"

"But I am a warlock, and we are perfectly capable of giving birth" Merlin said, "It would not be surprising"

"You can give birth Merlin?!" Arthur almost yelled with shock. Merlin looked at him with a nod, "Yup"

"How?"

"Magic"

"What is a warlock exactly?"

"A warlock is someone that is born with magic, they learn to control it. Sorcerers learn how to use it after some practise"

"I see, what if you do not use it?"

"If I were to not use magic, it would be extremely painful. It leaks, even if I use it too much, it would be exhausting for me and I would lose my energy"

"You would find his room in a mess after one night sometimes" Arthur added. "I bet that you have been doing my chores with it too"

"I did, when I was in Gaius chambers or in my room where it was safe to do so"

"What about when you were around me?"

Merlin hummed in thought, "Remember Cedric?"

"Him? Oh yes, the servant that you were so jealous of. You fought him in my chambers and happened to be a sorcerer after that"

"I killed that boar when we went hunting with magic, and the time that we were with bandits, I used tree trunks to fall on them or heated up their swords"

"It was coincidence after coincidence Merlin, we have never noticed"

"And remember that druid that we found in a cave?"

"She almost stabbed me"

"She could have, not without my magic"

"So you two are telling me that Merlin had been protecting Arthur the whole time when he served you?" William asked. "Yes, he didn't tell me that he had magic until two days before I died. Merlin always appeared clumsy, disrespectful and rude, and he never listened to me"

"That is what made me a really good servant" Merlin chuckled, pouring some water into Arthur's glass. "Oh, habit" He noticed that he was not supposed to do that.

"So Catherine, were you born into a royal family?" Arthur asked her. "Oh no, I was not"

"You are not a noble blood?"

"Neither, we do not have these terms anymore"

"So you grew up as a citizen among the people of England?"

"Yes"

"That sounds just like my wife Gwenivere"

"Queen Gwenivere? She was not a noble?"

"No, she was my half-sisters, Morgana's maid servant"

"She was a maid servant? How did that happen, for you two to fall in love with each other?"

Merlin felt a hint of jealously churning inside his stomach. "Her smile, and her personality, there were hints here and there. Of course, my Father did not approve"

"And look what that has brought us today" She smiled, turning to her husband.

"Indeed"

They had enjoyed lunch over a very good conversation about themselves, going further into Arthur and Merlin's real story, telling everything to little George who was the one that was the most interested. Then they went into Maree and Kilgharrah, before going onto Merlin's serving days when he looked after William's mother but Merlin's stomach churned with jealously every time Arthur mentioned Gwenivere. He never thought that he would ever be jealous of one of his best friends, but his head throbbed with thoughts of "She had slept with him before, kissed him and touched him. The hell, why am I so jealous?" But he kept his cool. After lunch William was very willing to help teach Maree and watched her use magic along with Merlin with utter amazement.

"Do you not use a wand Merlin?" William asked. Merlin let out a laugh, "No, that Harry Potter stuff is pure fantasy. I do not need to use a wand to use magic"

"Interesting"

"Who would want to use a wand? That is just…..showing off" Arthur said, going through one of his books. "Exactly Arthur, it is just a stick"

And they laughed, surprisingly they didn't go into a banter the whole day until a book fell on Arthur's head from one of the shelves and Merlin snorted, talking about the number of times that he had hit him with a vase with magic and the number of times that he got knocked out. And he totally lost it. Which was a nice sight for William to see how friendly they are.

It didn't take long for Merlin and Arthur to notice the loud commotion outside the castle, the many people that were coming to see Arthur and Merlin bid farewell to Prince William, Princess Catherine and their children. Merlin sent Maree off to patrol the area in her dragon form along with all of the helicopters in the sky, people awed at the creature whilst on the ground, taking photos and holding phones up in the air for Arthur to notice.

"Bye bye King Arfur!" George waved as they got into their car. "Good bye George" Arthur smiled at the boy.

"George…..hold on, doesn't that ring a bell?" Merlin halted.

"You mean my other manservant? That George?"

Merlin broke up laughing, so hard that he had tears in his eyes and used his neckerchief to muffle his laughs. People in the crowd found it amusing to see Merlin laugh so much and Arthur smiling at his laughing face.

"Calm down Merlin" Arthur grinned like an idiot. "Say goodbye first and laugh later"

"Yes sire" he choked on his laughs as he tried to stop. "Do you have any idea how many King George's there were?"

"Four…or five?"

"They we're just as bad as that man servant. It's just….I don't understand, every time I hear "George" I just end up laughing"

"Ha ha Merlin, you can tell me all about it later. Just don't make the boy look stupid"

"Yes sire" He steadied himself up and cleared his throat as he stopped laughing.

"Farewell" William said, "We hope to visit you again" He called out as he opened the car door.

"You are always welcome to come again William"

And they had left with their goodbyes.

" _Now Merlin, we have to talk about something"_ Arthur said as he went back inside the castle. _"What?"_ Merlin followed after him.

" _I suppose you don't know that I can read your thoughts"_

Merlin gulped, _"Why the hell are you jealous of Gwenivere?"_

" _Well….I don't know. That's why I am asking myself"_

" _Merlin, I have felt this before"_

" _Huh?"_

" _Jealousy over a person shows some love"_

Merlin almost tripped over the words. _"WHAT?"_ Then he blushed, _"Of course"_

" _Merlin…."_

Merlin shut his lips tight and then sighed at himself. _"Merlin, Gwen isn't here anymore, if you want to wash my bedlinens a thousand times, feel free. But you are the one I love right now"_

Merlin smiled at him. _"Thank you Arthur"_

There was a moment of heart touching silence, _"Well at least that you can admit that you don't hate me"_

" _Merrrlin…"_ Arthur rolled his eyes. _"Well, for now, because you love it so much, prepare a bath for me. I will go and see Kilgharrah and see to the changes in Camelot. I've heard that the plumbing and bathrooms have been applied"_

Merlin got a little excited, _"Yes Arthur, I will see to it right away"_

They then knocked their foreheads together. Smiling at each other knowing that this is going to be their signature moment, and Merlin left to Arthur's chambers.

Arthur went to the training grounds to meet Kilgharrah as expected of him, he was happy to sleep on the grounds for the night to protect Camelot due to the lot of people around. Because of this the workers decided to sleep right next to the dragon for the night because of his warm heavenly scales, they didn't seem to be afraid anymore. It was better than staying in their usual cabins and getting to view the stars was another plus.

With a smile, Arthur went back to his chambers expecting a bath ready for him. He placed his crown in the usual box and took his cape except for his sword, it was too dangerous to have it lying around for anyone to steal. He always kept it with him, to Merlin's advice.

He looked around for Merlin but he was nowhere to be found, but he heard a strange sound. Bubbling and water. He followed the sound to his antechambers where he found a new room built there. _"It must be the new so called bathroom that is installed"_ He thought and then he opened the door to find a huge spa with a totally dead relaxed Merlin in it, sighing like no other. The spa was bubbling with life and it was a bit steamy so he thought that the water must be really warm.

"Merlin?" He asked and Merlin's eyes shot up. "Arthur! You've got to come in, it's so warm and heavenly in here~"

"I can see that all over your face. That is a big bath, it should fit like three people in there" His eyes travelled all over the new huge tub. "It's called a spa Arthur, come in! You won't regret it"

Arthur looked around, "Where are the changing rooms?"

"There isn't one, I just stripped and jumped in. Come on!"

Arthur then noticed Merlin's clothes all over the floor, "You instinctively jumped in?"

"Yup"

"Okay then, if you insist…." Arthur then takes his belt off along with his sword, putting them nicely away on a shelf before taking his clothes off while Merlin did his best not to stare. Arthur had no idea where to put his clothes so he just dropped them on the floor before stepping into the spa. He recognized the difference immediately. "Oh, Merlin, that feels…"

"Yeah"

And Arthur jumped in, noticing a curved seat, he sat down on it in the spa. "So good….." he let out a relaxing sigh.

"Fit for a King eh?" Merlin said, his arms sprawling out on the side of the spa and Arthur chuckled to himself, "Yes, indeed" And he looked at Merlin, his eyes started looking at him. After a while of staring, Merlin was unsure with what he was doing, is he staring? Imagining things…? He looked back at him into the eye, "Arthur?"

Arthur snapped back into reality, "Ah, sorry Merlin. I was just picturing something"

"What?"

"Nothing, that is for you to know later" He refused to tell and Merlin let out a hum, "Okay, if you say so…" Merlin looked away, "Where is Kilgharrah?"

"He is outside acting as the workers blankets for the night"

Merlin laughed at the thought, "He is small, like Aithusa when we used to see her. But he is growing bigger isn't he? I don't think that he will be able to fit in a room now" Merlin was now looking at Arthur.

"Yeah, what are we going to do with him as a dragon? He is going to be really big…"

"The training field is big enough, he can sleep there"

"But what if it rains?"

"Wow, you care about him" Merlin smiled. "Of course, he is a good friend now"

"Well, we can't use the caves below. He can sleep in the chambers as a human, which will be better"

"I have to agree"

"But while she is sleeping inside the castle, don't call Kilgharrah out, we don't want the castle exploding because of an oversized dragon"

"I understand" Merlin chuckled, thinking about the castle exploding because of a dragon. No, we wouldn't want that. Arthur cupped a handful of water and washed it over his hair, repeating the motion over and over. "Don't put your head under" Merlin warned.

"Why?"

"It's bad for your health, it's hot in here so ducking your head under will be bad, you might faint or something"

"It won't be a problem once I'm immortal right?"

Merlin smiled a bit, "No"

"You have the right spell then?"

"Yes I do, but it will require all of my power so I may faint on the spot when I'm done", "So then, I'll watch over you until you wake up. You never know that people might want to kill you too"

"They wouldn't dare"

"But they tried to kill me today, they would even try and kill you too"

"Damn assassins, I've protected royal families from them, I'll be able to survive my own"

"But not when you're asleep right?"

"Right. I am the most powerful sorcerer to walk on this Earth, however I don't get why anyone would want to kill either of us. It's absurd"

"We're like rich animals to be hunted for a prize" Arthur described and Merlin's eyes widened. "But you hunt animals yourself!"

"Not humans, I know what you feel when we go out hunting. I understand it, I wouldn't kill anything without a particular good reason you know that Merlin"

Merlin's mouth gaped. "I'm not some insensitive arse Merlin"

"You are a royal prat though"

Arthur splashes him. "Hey!" Merlin spluttered, "Clotpole" Arthur splashed him again, Merlin splashed back. As the insults went, they kept on splashing each other, "Dollophead- donkey ears- royal- insensitive- arse- will you stop it?!"

The room echoed with Arthur's laughter, filling the room as they then wrestled each other in the water, creating waves of water that splash onto the floor. "Stop- you'll get our clothes wet!"

"Does this face look like I care?" Arthur gave him a smug look as Merlin was pinned along the side of the spa. But their grins slowly disappeared as the spa stopped running and the bubbles washed away, both of their bodies were setup completely for display for them to see.

Then for a second, Arthur looked down when something caught his eye. Merlin flushed, "Arthur!" He wanted to slap him but he couldn't because of his pinned down arms, even if he did, Arthur would tease him for being a princess. But then his eyes caught something.

He was hard, Arthur was hard. How did that happen? The excitement? Then he looked down at himself, happening to be in the same position as Arthur. His ears were practically on fire and his magic…..it was reaching out. He let out a slow and steady breath before Arthur decided to lift up his head and admire the blushing male.

" _Merlin_ , you're insatiable, I am going to turn into a frenzy because of you"


	30. Chapter 30 - Kingship

Merlin woke up with the feel of familiar sheets, soft, soft sheets. But he felt sticky and sweaty all over, he had been sleeping on his stomach and noticed Arthur sleeping next to him. He must have fallen asleep after he did that spell…..wait, hold on, what did they do before that?

Memories flooded his head and he smiled a bit at the thought of them. He put his two hands on the bed and lifted himself up, meeting a hint of pain in his back. "Ow!" He whined at the sting of it. Arthur had been pretty rough on him once they got carried away, he was more of a prat in bed than out of it but he was happy.

If Maree gets a chair this morning, he is definitely going to show a hint. So he hoped that she wouldn't. _"Royal pain in the back, literally"_ He thought and let himself drop on the bed after a few attempts of trying to get up. Then he was met with another touch of pain in his chest, which confused him. _"We didn't play with anything…"_ He rolled over a bit and looked at his chest.

He had noticed that his chest had _grown,_ his nipples were big and wet with a liquid substance. This confused him more, after introducing Arthur to the invention of protection, they had done it safe, he couldn't….be pregnant right? No, if he did, he'd be able to sense something with his magic. But that doesn't explain his position.

He then felt Arthur nudge on the bed and raise an arm, searching for something. Merlin grabbed his hand and kissed it, letting him know that he is there. Arthur is immortal, he will be living with him _forever_ until the end of time, rubbing his hand he smiles at his partner for life.

Arthur was sprawled out on his back, he lifted his head and opened his eyes to see Merlin. He smiled and tightened his grip on his hand, "Good morning"

"What happened after I fainted?"

"I put you to bed properly of course, cleaned up and folded our clothes away. The maids fixed up the bathroom, and closed the curtains of course"

Merlin then noticed the curtains closed around the bedroom space. "Wow, King Arthur is doing actual manual labour for once"

"So we don't get found out. I don't want to make it strange for the rest of the kingdom" Arthur said, he got up and wiped his eyes. "Time to get up Merlin"

"Ah, I'd love to drag you out of bed but I can't move…."

"Why?"  
"My back hurts….more importantly…my chest"

Arthur took notice of his chest, "It's grown, and it's puffy. What is going on?" He asked, giving his chest a soft stroke. Merlin gave him a look, "I have been asking myself that same question"

"But does it tell you anything?"

"Well, by the signs, I must be having a child. But I feel no magic inside of me telling that I have something growing…"

"What?"

Merlin frowned as he felt something, his head turning to the direction of his magic pulling him along. "My magic is pulling me somewhere….as if it's reaching out for something"

"That might be the source of your issue, I'll head out while you must rest here. I'll get your breakfast served while I find out what it may be"

"How?"

"I…..can feel something tingling in my chest" He explained. "Magic" Merlin gasped, "You're bound to me, there is some sort of connection"

"Of course, now you rest here. I'll come back if I find anything" Arthur got out of bed and got dressed. Closing the curtains and grabbing Excalibur as he went out, he first went to Maree's chambers but they we're unexpectedly empty and breakfast was placed on a table in the middle. "Excuse me, may I ask where Maree is?" He asked one of the maids that we're tending to her bed. "Oh, the miss headed out early a few hours ago to the old physicians chambers" The young lady said, "Thank you" He nodded his head and went out the castle to head for the old rooms. But was then met with a huge commotion of people gathering and firefighters scrambling around a certain part of the castle.

It was Gaius's chambers.

He ran right to the group of people to find out what has happened. "What is going on here?!" he yelled, one of the firefighters approached the King. "My Lord, a fire emerged not too long ago. A maid called for help and we put out the fire just before any damage could be done"

"Was anyone hurt?" he hoped that Maree wasn't involved in this.

"No, but we found a child"

He froze, "What?"

"We found a child lying in a bundle of clothes along with a necklace, sword and book my lord" The man said. With that he knew who that might be, "Take me to the child immediately"

The fireman took him straight to another room where he heard a child's cries, the clothes and necklace along with the book was nicely bundled on a table and the child was bundled in a white blanket. One of the maids are trying to calm her.

His chest tingled. It was Maree, with all of the objects floating in the air, there was no doubt that it was her. His daughter.

He approached the child and took her carefully into his arms, and his chest stopped tingling when the girl smiled up her Father and squealed happily. "This is Maree, the fire must have been a magical accident. As for her…we have to find out how to change her back into her actual age"

"Shall we get her to Merlin my lord?" A maid asked. "Yes, grab her things and follow me to my chambers" The maid nodded and grabbed her things including the book and followed Arthur back to his chambers. Once they got there, Arthur told the maid to put her things on the table and leave, after that he went and opened the curtains to see Merlin.

"Merlin, I found the source of your issue" Arthur said and Merlin turned to look at him, immediately noticing the child in his arms. "Maree!"

"Yup, she had a magical accident and may have turned herself into a child. I don't know what happened but there was a fire in Gaius's chambers" Arthur carefully placed the child into Merlin's arms. "Was anything destroyed in the fire?" Merlin asked worriedly. "Luckily no"

Merlin sighed of relief, "Good, did she have anything with her?"

Arthur got the book off the table and placed it on the bed. "She did have this"

Merlin took a look at the cover, "Oh, this. She shouldn't be meddling with this" he then looked at the girl, "You have been naughty have you? Just like your Daddy"

"Hey, when have I ever not listened to you?"

"That's the thing, you don't. That book is about magic with relationships, it's not to be meddled with easily"

"How many magic books have you read in your life Merlin?" Arthur asked curiously. "I've lost count, and that includes all of the books in Gaius's chambers"

"Then don't start counting. I have some duties to attend to, could you do the spell yourself?"

"Yes, I can, but I will have to rest first"

Maree starts to whimper in Merlin's arms. "Hey little one, it's alright" Merlin takes his attention to the child and shushes gently.

"Maybe she's hungry, I saw her breakfast in her chambers and she hasn't taken a single bite" Arthur said. "Here" He grabbed some pillows to get Merlin into a sitting up position and placed them behind his back. "Comfortable?"

"Yes, thanks Arthur" And then Merlin noticed the child reaching out, "Hungry?"

The child cooed, "Here" He gives the child access and she starts to feed. It was a rare sight for Arthur to see Merlin being a Mother, but at the same time it made him smile because it felt like as if they were a family.

Merlin cringed at the new feeling, "It kinda hurts….."

"I think you'll get used to it. Get better, I have a meeting with the Queen"

"I'll see you later then" Arthur gives Merlin a kiss before he leaves, shutting the curtains after.

"Now, we have to change you back little one" Merlin turns his attention to the child.

But she wouldn't let go of him, hesitant he became worried that he would upset the child. "Come on….you'll feel heaps better later" He carefully lifted the child away and put her on the bed, covering her with the bedsheets.

"Okay"

He took his time and started a spell, by seconds she grew up into her adult form. Startled at first, she gasped and realised what just happened. "Merlin! What just-"

"It's okay, you had a magical accident"

She recollected her memories and nodded, "I did, I was reading"

"A book that you're not supposed to read"

"Wha- I'm not a child" She then looked at herself, "Where are my clothes?"

"On the table over there" Merlin pointed to her clothes and she ran for it. After a while she had dressed herself with her sword back in her belt. "Thank you. I have no idea how that happened. Did I cause any trouble?"

"Yes" Merlin groaned as his magic started to reset his chest. "My chest grew and was ready to breastfeed this morning. It hurt a lot"

"Ew" She realised and rubbed her lips, "So that's….what I am tasting in my mouth right now! Gross" She shuddered. "I know, it sounds bad" Merlin admitted.

"Well, at least that I am not hungry"

"You did cause a fire in Gaius's chambers through"

Her face was filled with shock, "Did I destroy anything?"

"Luckily no, the fire was taken out quickly"

"Phew, good" She exhaled a relived breath. "Good thing that nothing got destroyed, that would be utterly terrible"

"Yeah"

"Where is Arthur?"

"He is at a meeting. Looks like I will be missing out"

"You should be there, I should be too" She said seriously. "But my back hurts" Merlin complained. "I can't even stand"

"Use magic then, shouldn't be a problem" She said, looking like she is ready to drag him out. "Ha, why didn't I think of that…." Merlin mumbled to himself. "Habit"

"Come on, out you get" She grabs his arms and starts dragging him out. "No….no no no…." Merlin winced at the pain. He uttered some spells and gasped at the relief in his back. "Come ooon!" Maree pulled him out of bed and went to grab his clothes. "They're filthy…." She noticed. "Do you have a second set?"

"The closet"

Maree then got out the second set from the closet, "Here" She threw the clothes at Merlin's head "Dress up and don't be late. I'm heading straight down"

And she took off to go the meeting. Arthur was actually surprised to see her arrival, "Maree, are you feeling alright?" He asked in a worry.

"Yes, Merlin did a fine job in getting me in my previous form" She said. "He will be coming to join us shortly"

"Really? But….what about…his condition?"

"I suggested that he will heal himself up with magic. He will be fit enough to come down to see us"

"Good to hear, we will start the meeting as soon as he arrives" He gives the Queen a nod and sits at the round table, letting Maree sit next to him. Merlin came over to join them not so long after for Arthur's relief that he didn't show up late.

"Sit down Merlin" Arthur tapped on the seat on his left. "Really?" Merlin was surprised. "Yeah, you deserve this place"

Merlin sat down happily, feeling he had accomplished something. Yes, right next to Arthur's side. "Now, shall we begin the meeting? Majesties?" He said, looking at the Queen and Arthur.

"We are here to discuss the future of England" Arthur told Merlin, "The future of England….? She is not giving away her place as Queen is she?" He didn't think that it was a good idea.

"I did not think it was a good idea either Merlin, so that is why we have to settle on a good position of how England is going to have their kingdom. There are two known rulers, myself and Elizabeth and we need a fair and just conclusion on who is going to take on the position"

Merlin took a breath, "Let us point out the obvious first shall we?"

"I will go and get some paper and a pencil" Maree gets up from her seat, "No, leave that to the maids" Arthur seated her back down and some ladies went out to get some. Once they got the things, they rolled out the paper on the table and Maree started writing.

"So… Arthur, and Elizabeth" She wrote down their names.

"Arthur is an ancient ruler. Once and Future King" Merlin noted the first thing, Maree wrote as they went. "Thank you Merlin" Arthur smiled.

"Elizabeth has a family, about two to three generations. So if the position was to be given to Arthur, they would not have the chance to rule in their own lifetime"

"How so?" Elizabeth asked. "Arthur and I are immortal, we will be living all the way till the end of time. There is no way that we can be killed"

"I see, so if my family live on and Arthur takes my place, there will be no other ruler"

"Precisely"

"Could there be two rulers? There can be a King and Queen right?" Maree asked.

"I am at an old age, when I pass, my position will likely be handed to my husband" Elizabeth mentioned so Arthur put his mind to thought. "Queen of England, and King of Albion?"

"Arthur, England and Albion are practically the same thing" Merlin reminded him.

"Ah, yes"

"I will still hold my offer in giving my position to the throne" Elizabeth said. "No your majesty, that would not be fair on your family. I do not want that"

"We can have a partnership and have two Kingdoms, King and Queen" Merlin said, "It is not a bad idea"

"But then who would be the top ruler of England?" Arthur mentioned. "This is an important decision and it cannot be taken lightly"

"Also, England isn't just a country. Elizabeth holds many other countries, lands that are part of the United Kingdom"

Arthur gasped, "These lands belong to you your majesty" Remembering what he had read in his history books.

"I did not claim them myself Arthur, Queen Victoria did herself long ago along with many of my other ancestors that took the royal throne. These lands belong to me because of the position I take, you are much more worthy of having these lands your own hands"

"She's right" Merlin said, making Arthur flip his head to his brother. "You are the once and future King, a legend and a true ruler. I know that you will take good care of the people because I have seen you do it, you are worthy of being their ruler and they will willingly bow down to you"

"Merlin…..you do realize that you are kind of flattening me?" A small smile displayed across Arthur's face. "Am I?"

"Oh do not be ridiculous Merlin" Arthur gave him a pat on the back. "I'm serious"

Arthur smiled again, "I know, but I cannot do it without you Merlin" He returned the smile. "So, what will you do?"

"It is clear" Arthur looks at the conclusion, "We will have a partnership, we will have crowned King and Queen with myself holding the royal position. If anything shall to happen to me, the next in line will take my place from your family"

Maree took a breath. My god, this is happening.

"All right, do we all agree in this?" Merlin looked at the Queen and Arthur, Elizabeth nodded with a smile. "Yes"

"Then I will need someone by my side" Arthur said, "While I am here in Camelot"

Merlin smiled when Arthur turned to look at him, "I have been thinking about a position that you deserve"

"Me?"

"Royal Kingmaker"

Shock spread throughout Merlin's face. "Sire…"

"You deserve it Merlin, including this seat upon the round table"

He gasped, his face full of emotion. No words, he had no words to express it. He had waited for centuries for Arthur, suffered so much, and it all finally paid well.

"So when you were looking at me last night…."

"I pictured a crown upon your head, standing by my side"

Tears filled Merlin's eyes. "Come on Merlin, do not start crying a lake" Arthur said with his usual mocking tone, he reaches out to his cheeks and wipes his eyes.

"We shall go and meet the court tomorrow then" The Queen was pleased with the result.

In Maree's eyes, she saw Uther standing at the back of the room, shocked and surprised at the same time. She wasn't surprised to see that reaction, he is Arthur's father, and of course he would be shocked to see his own son become King of so many countries of the world. The world that Merlin helped Arthur create, a sorcerer, a warlock. She didn't hear Merlin and Arthur speak, her eyes were fixated on Uther.

"Uther" She spoke.

"What?" Arthur flipped when he heard Maree spoke of his Father's name.

"He is there, watching us"

"Meeting adorned, we will see you tomorrow in the morning your majesty" Arthur was quick to act. "My father's spirit is present and I must speak to him"

"Sire" Merlin said, standing up and they both bowed to the Queen. "Thank you for your time"

"My pleasure"

And they all left, "Where was he?" Arthur asked Maree. "In the back of the room"

"I want to speak to him, do we have any more potions left?"

"Yes, I improved it too" Merlin said. "What did you improve?"

"The taste" He sniggered a bit. "Thank you Merlin, get some for us both will you?"

"I already have some packed" Merlin grabs two bottles out of his pockets. "You are a lot more organized than usual"

They then quickly drunk down their potions, but Arthur was not impressed by the improvement. "What is that?!" He sputtered at the taste. "Tomato, a little revenge for putting me in the stocks" Merlin chuckled, "I have to say….it tastes even worse than before"

"Yes, it does Merlin. You are definitely not a physician" He pointed out.

"Sorry sire, I'll do better next time"

"You better" Arthur gave his vial back to him, Merlin shoving the vials down his pockets. "Let's go find my Father"

They turned around and Uther was there. "I'm here Arthur" Both Merlin and Arthur got a bit of a fright. "Father…." Arthur took a breath, "Don't scare us like that"

"My apologies" He cleared his throat, "It seems that we have something to speak of. What was that at the round table?"

"I am becoming King, leader of…how many countries Merlin?"

Merlin counted with his fingers a bit….too much… "59 I presume" Merlin said, gulping. "Arthur…." Uther was shocked, "This is a huge responsibility"

"I know Father, but the world would not have a better ruler than I. But for each country they have a Prime Minister that confirms their and laws, I only take the royal position"

"It is also a British Empire" Merlin added. "We have read our history"

Uther took a moment, "I cannot explain how proud I am" He said, taking out a book and giving it back to Merlin, he looked at him in the eye and nodded. Merlin nodded back, "Thank you Merlin. I know now"

"Father, you deserve to rest in peace, with my Mother where you belong" Arthur said, "The past is the past"

"Arthur…..first you have to explain what the both of you did last night. I cannot unsee it"

Maree cleared her throat, "I….will leave you two alone, I will be in the library studying" She awkwardly walked away with a grin across her face. "Um….you saw us?' Arthur and Merlin had clear red faces.

Uther crossed his arms, "I did, though there was no sound outside the chambers and the door was locked"

"That was me" Merlin said, "I didn't want the whole castle to hear. It would have been an awkward situation"

"I know, I heard Arthur ask you to do that"

"Father…." Arthur was the one who was the reddest in the face, "You saw me cry"

Uther nodded, "I did, and it was surprising. Explain that"

"I…" Arthur took a breath, "I seem to cry when I am at my happiest. I felt complete, being with Merlin, I was thankful that he is here for me…just….there are no words to express how grateful I am and I love him so much for that and I want to do the same for him as he has done for me"

"You two love each other?"

"Yes" They both said in unison. Their hearts skipped a beat. Uther sighed, "You two take care of each other. When Merlin told me that you two had a bond, I remembered what he had said, so I have no doubts"

"You….said that?" Arthur looked at Merlin, "Yes, I did"

"I have read the entire book and have come to see that Merlin is special. Magic does not make who he is, I have also seen it from Gaius who used to practice magic"

"Yes, he was a loyal friend"

"From my mistakes I have learned that he would never betray me despite that he used to practice it. I have respected him, and I should do the same to others"

Uther's spirit started to fade, "Thank you"

"Father, look upon and watch me. I'll do you proud"

Uther smiled, "You already have my son"

"But do not peek next time" Merlin pointed out which made Arthur laugh. "I hope not"

"I won't. Merlin, take care of Arthur. I know you will look after him for me"

"I will, with my life"

"Take care of my Granddaughter"

"I will"

"Thank you….Merlin"

Then he was gone, his soul was lifted.

"Father!" They then heard Maree's screams, she ran out to her parents in panic. Merlin and Arthur took action to her call right away. "What's wrong?!" They called back in a panic. "Avalon!" She jumped into Merlin's arms, she looked right up to Merlin with pure gold eyes, gasping she looked like she was in pain.

"What's wrong…..Maree?" Merlin gasped. "Kilgharrah…..the lake….someone is coming back!"

"WHAT?!" Arthur and Merlin gasped, taking her into their arms. "Take it easy, what is going on? What can you sense?" Merlin grabbed her face and looked into her eyes. She was cold, very cold.

"Someone is coming…..I don't know who but I will try my best to change it"

"Why? Why….change?"

The person is cold….very cold…ice cold…

"Morgana" Arthur breathed, he grabbed Maree's shoulders and looked at her. "Maree, you can do this because I know that you are the only person who can"

Maree nodded. "Try and change the revival of the person, whoever it may be, focus on the warmth" Arthur said with a stern tone. "I will" And Maree set herself to focus. As she relied on Merlin's support she left her strength on her body and focused on her magic. Seconds later she yelped in pain, struggling as Merlin and Arthur held her together. "Focus!"

She took slow deep breaths and concentrated on her goal. Merlin and Arthur could feel her magic emerging from her body, grabbing tight on as she focused. Her hands grabbed on tightly as the pain shot through her body. And eventually Maree started to feel warm.

"You're doing it! Come on, you can do this!" Merlin encouraged her to keep going, she then clenched onto Merlin so hard that her nails dug in. She let out a gasp and fainted in his arms. Her gold eyes going back to a beautiful blue. "Maree…" They grabbed a hold of her. She was warm now, but Arthur and Merlin still had little doubts. "I hope she was able to change it…"

"Come on, let's get her to her chambers" Arthur said, helping Merlin lift her up and they took her inside her chambers. They laid her down onto her bed and gave her rest. "I should go down to the lake immediately" Merlin said, "I will come with you" Arthur grabbed his arm before he could take action. Merlin glared at him, "I am not going to let you approach that lake"

"But I won't let you go unless If I am there to protect you. You are all I have from Camelot, I love you. We just found each other"

Merlin took a breath to absorb what he had heard, "What we go though we go through it together. When have you not been by my side?"

Merlin nodded, "We don't know what may be coming for us. Alright, let's go together" Arthur's grip on Merlin changed to holding his hand. "Ready the horses, I'll get someone to look over her"

With a nod, Merlin went out of the room and Arthur got a maid to look after Maree and then went to the stables to see Merlin with readied horses. Guards were prepared to go along with them, Merlin got Arthur's chainmail and armor and put them on him along with his cape and immediately got on their horses to set off soon as possible.

They we're in a hurry to get to the lake, people in the background took awe of Merlin and Arthur on their horses while they travelled, paying no attention to the crowd they got the lake as soon as possible.

Once they arrived onto the lake's grass they approached it carefully. Arthur noticed Merlin's chills as he approached the water but he refused to even look at the lake. But they went searching right away.

Their minds were set on whoever may be coming. Rolling through their minds, they thought, _please let it be Morgana or Mordred._ Hoping, they followed any flow of magic with Merlin guiding them both most of the time.

Then they heard rustling. They flinched and ran straight for the noise. "I remember dragging myself along, and then going to this area…" Arthur mentioned. With their hopes up, they found a figure in Camelot clothes, he has black hair.

"Hello?" Merlin approached the man cautiously, they turned him around and they we're instantly hit with a sense of relief.

It's Lancelot.


	31. Chapter 31 - Sir Lancelot

"Lancelot!" Merlin called out to him and they approached the man right away. But clearly he was exhausted and was half conscious.

"We have to get him back to Camelot" Arthur said, lifting Lancelot up and hauled him over his shoulder. "I'll help him onto my horse"

They took Lancelot back and heaved him onto Merlin's horse, Merlin grabbed the reins and guided the horse carefully as Arthur hopped onto his horse. "Can you make him invisible? We don't want any commotion over us carrying someone unconscious"

Merlin nodded to his King and did what he was asked. He didn't mind walking back.

They calmly went back to the castle and took Lancelot to the chambers that he was given long ago when he was a Knight, however even Arthur was reminded of his actions with Gwenivere, it was the past and didn't focus on that. They had the maids clean him up and change his clothes as if he was royalty and put him to bed to let him rest.

Arthur checked on Maree who was still unconscious but she awoken a few hours later.

"Are you alright?" Merlin asked her, sitting up as she groaned. "Did I do it?"

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, "Yes, we went to the lake a few hours ago after you fainted. We found Lancelot"

Her eyes widened, "Lancelot the bravest Knight of the Round table?"

"You know Lancelot?" Arthur was surprised. "I am not surprised, Kilgharrah addressed him like that once" Merlin said. "Is he okay? Arthur took a few days to wake" She asked.

Merlin and Arthur hummed, "We are going to be busy the next few days. We will be at court with the Queen"

"I can take care of him. I've done it with Arthur, I can do it again" She suggested.

Merlin and Arthur considered this. "If we are not here and we are busy at court you can look after him" Arthur said.

"But have some rest first, as soon as you are okay you can start as soon as you want"

"Yes Merlin, I'll take a nap"

"Have some lunch too, we can talk about what had happened earlier to you later" Merlin gives her a plate of food. "Here"

"Thank you. Should we have his chainmail and armour in his room?" She sat up and received the plate, Merlin looked at Arthur in agreement. "That would be a good idea, I'll go and get them, it will make him comfortable when he wakes"

"Good" Arthur said as he watched Merlin go out of the door before looking at Maree, "Get well" And she nodded before he sat up and then was immediately distracted by the items in her room.

There were modern books, her computers, tablets and noticed a small tiny thing that was completely black. It was a round block with glass around it like a cylinder that was just sitting on her desk. He took a glimpse at it.

"May I ask what this is…?" He asked.

"Ah, that's….better that you don't touch it Father. If I tried to explain what it is, your mind would be really confused. Its voice activated and I am not sure if it is on"

"What is voice activated?"

"It's a machine that listens to what you want it to do. Commands, so if you wanted it to turn on the lights it will"

"Like a servant"

"Correct"

"Okay, so I am not confused so far. How can a machine and a piece of glass hear me?"

"A microphone, it is a machine that picks up your voice and it can hear sound. It's very tiny in this one. Also, a camera so it can see your face and locate where your eyes, nose and mouth is"

"I never imagined I would have a daughter this smart to know this sort of stuff"

"So Father, are you smart? Good at writing and whatnot? Ruling a kingdom?"

"Yes…."

"There you go, other than that you are not such a prat that Merlin talks about"

"No, hold on. You have Merlin's brain, not mine" Arthur recalled. "Oh" Maree snorted, "Maybe you aren't smart after all"

" _That is even worse than being called fat"_ Arthur thought. "That reminds me, did you have simpleton people during your time?" Maree asked which made Arthur's mood burn. "Introduce me to some of the technology you have later, I shall take my leave" He said, leaving Maree wondering why he left like that.

When he found Merlin later he chased him down.

"The hell Arthur, the simpleton thing wasn't even my fault!" Merlin complained.

They gave up willingly as soon as they ran out of breath, Merlin put Lancelot's armour and chainmail on a table next to him as he rested while Arthur resumed his duties to get ready for tomorrow.

Meanwhile, after an hour, Maree decided to grab a book and watch over Lancelot in his chambers. He had been clearly tucked in bed and he was sleeping peacefully. Once she got in there she was surprised to see his actual face, she supposed that he seemed a bit handsome, not like he will easily impress her. Grabbed a chair and sat down in front of the bed to start reading.

Soon Merlin came in to discuss the incident.

"So, what happened back there?"

"I was walking when Kilgharrah spoke to me, he told me that I had to do something. Then Avalon spoke to me, sending me magic and directing me to do something, to free someone"

"Could it have been the Sidhe?"

"Yes, I believe it to be. And a woman's voice guiding me, helping me"

"Freya" Merlin breathed. "The Lady of the lake" Maree said, "Is that her?"

"Yes"

"It seemed that Avalon was unable to let someone go unless if they we're to channel magic through me, to force me to let someone go. As if it was needed"

"You are Arthur's guide, you could be able to control the magic of the Lake. You we're born there in the first place upon Freya's hand, there could be a reason for your existence"

Maree looked down a bit, "At least I know who I am and what I am born for, and that is enough for me"

Merlin smiled, he had felt the same way for his own destiny. "I understand. What we know now is that you managed to change the lake's actions, I don't think that the Sidhe will be happy with that"

"No, I can feel it. I always have. But if something is going to happen, maybe I am the key to winning this part of the prophecy, whatever it may be"

"Does Kilgharrah speak to you?"

"Yes, he always have for as long as I remember. He's the reason I go travelling to find pieces of your legend because he interests me into many things, I'm an eager and curious person"

"Can you keep listening to anything he says, anything for what he may foretell?"

"I can do that. For now, all we know from him is that we need to get Camelot back up and rising and we have been doing that"

"I can say that it's in progress"

They nodded in agreement. "Then why is the Lake trying to get Morgana back?"

She sighed, "I freaked out because it was channelling me something very cold, I knew right away that this was evil. Maybe…no, I have no idea why. I cannot feel anyone, maybe the lake has some intentions that we may not know of. Kilgharrah doesn't seem to like this one bit, it's like…..we have plans but the lake doesn't expect us to have our plans go along nicely"

"I hate that damn lake" Merlin muttered, he looked away and sighed. "At least we have you Maree, I am amazed and proud of what you have achieved today"

Maree was not surprised, "Are you praising me Daddy?"

"No, really. You managed to get Lancelot back and this is going to give us much more help, with more practise, we can get better"

"Thanks" She finally smiled. "I really should"

"For now, let's focus on our current goal. Listen to Kilgharrah"

"I will. So what will happen tomorrow?"

Merlin liked the change of subject when she is interested in something, "We will be going to court, things will evolve from there"

"But wouldn't there be priests? Christians…?" She asked worriedly and Merlin noticed her concern. "Do you mean….?"

"After Camelot's time when religion came in, people stopped believing in magic because they started to believe that it was the work of the devil" She said.

Merlin nodded sadly, "Yes, though magic came long before religion. They weren't friendly with me anymore and called me names"

"That's horrible! I give them respect, but hopefully they will also respect you as well"

"Religion grew out very wide, it was even worse than Uther's reign. I don't want to even talk about it"

"I understand"

Merlin lifted his eye and smiled "Thanks"

"To be honest, I kind of pity those kind of people. Following something that isn't even real, they are like bootlickers to royalty"

Merlin snorted, the image of George popping up in his mind. Then he set his mind to the subject, "Yeah, after the Magna Carta came out it gave people their rights, but when Kings and Queens came up with the idea of god to take control of the people, to make them better. But they also made claims that for God to forgive their sins, they we're to offer money, those stood as taxes for them"

"I heard"

"We all make mistakes, it's only human. Punishment will be given to those who would break the laws, but god was manipulating people. It was terrifying for me to witness that"

"What did you do during that time?"

"I didn't have magic back then, so I watched it all on the sidelines. I was not in any danger at the time"

"Lucky. Good thing that you were safe during these times"

"I had to hide my magic practises though, people were hated in that way as well"

"I thought so"

There was a moment of silence, "Anyway, sorry about this morning" She said, breaking the ice. "That is okay, you are forgiven. You have learned a lesson from that"

"I did. You do notice that I'm 19 right?"

"Yes…..I came to Camelot at your age, I've made mistakes of my own. We all do"

She chuckled, "So you are not making a bad mistake with my Father?"

Merlin cleared his throat, "No, this is real" He knew what she was talking about. She smiled, "I'm glad you two are happy. That's all that matters"

He sighed, "It's going to be awkward when we will have to explain it to Lancelot"

"It's okay, I'll handle it for you when he wakes up and asks"

"I will have to tell him myself"

"Of course. Good luck with that"

"We will needing it. I should go back to Arthur and project his royal hide" Merlin gets up from his seat. "I'll see you later for dinner?"

"Sure, I'll see you then"

Merlin then left the room, leaving Maree back to her book that she was reading. She would lift an eyes to see how Lancelot was doing once in a while, until soon she went to the dining room. Tonight the maids started changing the meals a little to get Arthur introduced to new modern foods.

It was unexpected for him when the meals were placed upon the table, fish, chips and various kinds of seafood's and salads were introduced. Arthur scanned the new things and took his time. He picked up a chip and took a steady bite, "Yum, what is this Merlin?"

"It is called a chip, it's made out of potato"

"Is this….fish?" He pointed at the smoked fish in front of him, others were battered.

"Yes, it is. Can you guess what the others are? You will have to take your gloves off though"

Arthur takes his gloves off and sets them aside. He looked at the crab and muscles, "These are seafood am I right?"

"Good guess, that is crab, those are muscles and the ones next to them are oysters" Merlin pointed at the new things. "They seem hard to eat, how can you bite into such hard shell?" Arthur grabs a piece of crab. "You have to break them to get the meat out of the inside" Merlin gets his own and shows Arthur how to do it, after breaking an arm in half he gets some meat out and hands some to Arthur, "Here, say "aah""

"Ahh" Arthur opens his mouth and takes a bite. "Hmm, not bad. It's actually really nice. Quite salty though"

Arthur cringed at the sight of Coke, thinking that it might be poisonous but after drinking it he got used to the idea of the colour. "Why is it black though?"

"It's coloured black, if it wasn't coloured it would be green"

"It would look much uglier if it were green in the first place, so that's reasonable"

Merlin happily used his magic to do most of the work without getting their hands dirty, Arthur recognised the dim sims similar to dumplings and was also introduced to potato cakes. He found the seafood quite satisfying and filled his mouth with new tastes. After dinner Maree went back to Lancelot's chambers to look after him for the last few hours of the night when Merlin and Arthur decided to go to bed. But Merlin remembered the toothpaste and brush.

"Arthur, come to the bathroom" Merlin said after they got into their night clothes. Arthur raised an eye, "Why?"

"You'll see, come" He then took Arthur into the bathroom. He opened a cupboard to get out a toothbrush and some toothpaste.

"What are these?" He asked. "I'll show you. People take care of their teeth these days so they last longer and they don't rot away"

"Oh. So you clean them with a brush?" He crossed his arms in interest.

"Yes, you put the paste on the brush like so.." He shows him how to do it, "Put some water on it and then you start brushing your teeth" he raises the brush up to Arthur's mouth, "Open wide"

He did so and Merlin started brushing Arthur's teeth, he found it quite satisfying to brush his teeth. He mumbled a couple of times through the process. "Try not to swallow the paste okay?"

Arthur nodded and went on with it. When Merlin was finished, he told him to spit the paste out and gargle his mouth. Merlin washed the toothbrush and put it away. "Feel better?"

"Strangely it does" He rolls his tongue over his teeth to discover the new feeling. "It tastes like mint. Why am I not allowed to swallow it?"

"It will upset your tummy, it's supposed to be consumed"

"So how many times do you have to brush your teeth?"

"Once after breakfast in the morning and after dinner. I'm sure that you can do it yourself"

"Of course, thank you for teaching me Merlin"

"No worries. Now let's go to bed"

Arthur stopped him, "First, did you talk to Maree about what happened this morning?"

"I was going to mention once we get comfortable, it's cold in here"

"Agreed" he feels the cold temperature of the room, "Let's go to bed" And they walked into the bedroom and tucked themselves in. "So, did you find out what was going on?"

"She told me that the lake was speaking to her, as if it couldn't let anyone go without her permission"

"That is strange, what about the Lady of the Lake?"

"Freya?"

"She is in control isn't she?"

"That covers one thing, she made Maree happen. Since she is the Mother and she has that same connection with the Lake, what happens to the Mother also happens to her wouldn't it?"

"Yeah…..but, if Freya gave birth to her, then who died to keep the balance?"

Merlin was silent, "It is possible that it was Freya who died to bring life to Maree"

"So…..if Freya is no longer the lady of the lake…."

"Maree is. And we have complete access to her for whatever the lake may want"

"If she had a good reason to give her life, which is one very good reason. So we can win this battle, so we may know what is going on and what may happen"

"She really is your guide Arthur, the key to everything. Daughter of us, lady of the lake, ability to see the dead and to have Kilgharrah's magic…..how does that compare to me as the most powerful warlock upon this land?"

"You're Merlin, nothing can compare or replace you in any way" Arthur smirked, bringing a smile upon Merlin's face. "Look at me, I am the once and future King, will there be any other person that would compare to me?"

Merlin got the message, "No, there will never be another one like you Arthur"

"And there will never be another one like you Merlin, my warlock and brother in arms" He said, giving Merlin a kiss which they appreciated. "Thank you Arthur"

"My love" Arthur whispered which made Merlin let out a deep happy sigh as his heart felt the words touch him.

"Do you realise that your eyes glow gold when you do magic?"

"I noticed the first time I looked into a mirror, it amazed me at first to see how something like magic would look so beautiful"

"That's what I thought when I noticed. When I see that gold….it feels like I am looking inside of you, all of you. They suit you so very well"

"As well as your own magic, your eyes glow gold as well. It goes nicely with those blue eyes of yours and that blonde hair" Merlin points that out, ruffling Arthur's hair.

"Are you flirting with me?" Arthur asked and Merlin flinched, "Am I? If I am it's not intentional"

Arthur smirked, "The mouth on you" He raises a hand from under the sheets to stroke Merlin's cheek, Merlin places his hand over Arthurs. "Your skin is very soft, your hair is soft and you smell nice" Arthur commented.

Merlin's eyes widened, "Now you are the one who's flirting" he chuckled. "It's what I thought last night, I remember you being in the stocks all day smelling putrid but I never knew that you'd be such sensation in a way" He said, moving closer to him so he can inhale his scent. "You mean….when we…"

"Yes"

Memories went shooting across his mind, the thought of them were enough to make him blush. They had done it whilst facing each other, seen each other moan, seen each other so messed up with their bodies coated with heat and sweat, kissing and sucking on skin, invading territories. And Arthur cried, he was shocked at first but he was happy.

" _No man is worth your tears Merlin"_

To see him crying overjoyed him. If there was something stronger to convey their feeling to each other, it was how much they were worth to each other. Merlin snuggled up as close as possible to Arthur and let himself consume the moment but then it was interrupted by a knock on the door.

They both sighed. "Who is it?" Arthur called out.

"It's Maree Father, Lancelot is waking up!" She called out and instantly Merlin and Arthur got out of bed, Arthur took Excalibur with him and went out the door to follow Maree into Lancelot's chambers. They went straight to his bed as the man started to wake with a flicker of his eyes, they both grabbed a chair and sat next to him.

"Thank you for warning us" Arthur said. "No problem" and Arthur settled next to the man who then opened his eyes. "Lancelot?"

Lancelot then moved his head and looked around, he noticed the figure in front of him, "Arthur" He breathed, and then he broke into a smile. "….What happened?"

"What do you remember?"

"Camelot was in danger and I…gave up my life to save the people"

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, _he doesn't remember about the affair between him and Gwen._

"Am I dead?" He asked. "No, you are alive"

Lancelot shook his head in confusion, "I don't understand"

"Lancelot, since the day you gave your life, it has been _centuries_ "

"I really do not understand…." Lancelot was now even more confused so Arthur had to start from the beginning. "After your died Lancelot, a few years later there was a battle at Camlan. Merlin saved my life….using magic"

Lancelot's eyes widened, "He used _magic_?"

"Yes, he told me that he had magic afterwards as he treated my injuries"

"That must have been hard to absorb"

"It was. However, I was injured"

"How so?"

"A former knight of mine named Mordred had a sword that was forged in a dragons breath, when he striked me, a piece of the sword was embedded in my chest. Merlin was to take me to the Lake of Avalon to heal me. But….we never made it"

"So how are you alive my lord?"

Arthur then turns to Merlin and Merlin moves his head in for Lancelot to see. "The great dragon Kilgharrah told me that when Albion's need is at its greatest, Arthur will rise again" He said.

"So….how long has it been since he has come back?"

"He has been back for weeks now. But I have been waiting for centuries for his return"

Lancelot nodded his head, "It is good to see you again my friends. But why am I back…?" He asked, Arthur shook his head. "We don't know, we don't even know why I am here either. But we know that Avalon has tried to revive one of our biggest enemies, someone managed to change that and bring you back instead"

"Someone? Who? Merlin?" Lancelot starts to sit up and they help him. Then he notices Maree, "Who's the young lady?"

"Lancelot, this is my daughter Maree"

Maree bows, "It is a pleasure to meet you sir Lancelot"

"Did you marry Arthur?" Lancelot asked. "No, but back when I was alive I married Gwen"

Lancelot's heart sunk a bit, "Oh, then where did she come from during this time?"

Maree looked at her Father "Shall I?" And Arthur nodded. "I am a regeneration of Kilgharrah the great dragon, upon the Lake of Avalon, I was born by magic created along with the blood of Merlin and Arthur"

Lancelot was shocked, "You are joking" He took a while to take the information in but then he took a good look at her. "Hold on….you do feel a bit strangely familiar…..so I have met you"

"I remember when we first met. I address you as the bravest Knight of all and you are now"

"I remember that as well, and what do you mean by I am now?"

Arthur and Merlin smiled at each other, "Lancelot, our story of Camelot is legend"

"Legend?" He gasped. "Yes, Arthur is the Once and Future King, I am the powerful sorcerer Merlin and you among all of Arthur's Knights, you, Lancelot is the bravest of them all"

"There are stories about us? People remember us?"

"Yes, though however most of the stories are false. But they all include us"

Lancelot was surprised, and relieved at the same time. "What year is it?"

"2016, it has been like forever" Merlin said, "That is a horrendous amount of time. When have you returned Merlin?"  
"I never did"

"You never died?"

"No, I am immortal. I am magic itself, I will never die"

"Merlin…you have- my god. I can't imagine that, you lived for all of these centuries?" Lancelot was shocked, fearing what his friend had to face. "You had to watch everyone die…."

Merlin nodded, "It was not pleasant. Arthur died in my arms, Gwenivere had a child but then Gaius passed away, soon she went along following everyone else" he bit his lip. Lancelot looks around the room noticing the walls of Camelot, "How is our Kingdom still standing?"

"I looked after it and took care of it. Without me the castle would be ruins centuries ago"

"Merlin…thank you"

Merlin smiled, "You should get some rest, we can see you at the dining hall tomorrow morning"

"I should. It will be better to start afresh tomorrow and see what tomorrow brings"

Arthur and Merlin nodded. "Good night Lancelot, we will see you tomorrow"

"You have a good rest too"

They all stood up and Merlin blew the candles on the way out, they all went back to their own chambers to let Lancelot rest.

The next day Lancelot couldn't find a tub to bathe himself in, so he asked one of the servants that came in to gather his clothes, she spoke in such a strange language that he couldn't understand but he let her guide him. She was aware of Lancelot so she introduced him to the modern bathroom and filled the bath tub with warm water for him, he had his eyes roaming around the new place but got the idea of washing himself all the same as he would centuries ago because it was a bathtub and it had the same use, only with taps and direct access to water which amazed him. The servant kindly gave him some Camelot clothes that were said to be from Merlin and he got dried up and dressed in time to go to the dining hall. There were however a lot more guards than usual and they were dressed in an odd way but he let himself adjust to the new sights as he got to the dining hall.

He opened the doors as he always would and saw Merlin, Arthur, Maree and another older lady inside. "Ah, Lancelot! Come join us" Arthur said and Lancelot happily approached Arthur. "How are you feeling?"

"Pleasant but I am met with so many new things already"

"I know, centuries have passed, many things have dramatically changed. I have not gotten my head around everything yet, it may be shocking and difficult for you"

"Yes, I was introduced to a new shiny looking tub. They aren't made out of metal anymore?"

"No. There are a lot to explore"

"Shall you show me these things today sire?"

Arthur sighed, "No, I have a court to go to with Merlin today. So, I have Maree to show you around, she is the only one that is able to speak Brittonic. Language has changed"

"I have noticed. Why are you going to court sire?"

"Let me introduce you first" Arthur then turned to the Queen, "Your majesty, may I introduce you to sir Lancelot, he is the bravest among of all of my Knights"

Lancelot was impressed with Arthur's pronunciation of the language, but he had no idea what to say. He simply smiled and bowed. "I apologise, he does not know any English" Arthur said in advance.

"I have heard of you in the legends, it is an honour to meet you sir Lancelot" The Queen said and Arthur translated what she said. "Lancelot, this is the previous ruler of Albion or England is what the land is called today. Queen Elizabeth" Arthur introduced her to him. "I am going to court today to discuss my position and it is agreed that I take her position"

"That is wonderful my lord, I hope that your time at the court serves well"

"Thank you, let us sit down shall we?" And they all sat down, and Lancelot settled very well as he recognised the food among the table. He was going to grab his cup when Merlin swiftly used magic to pour some water into their cups, because it was in public he nearly flinched at his movements.

"You accept Merlin's magic?" Lancelot asked Arthur, "Yes, of course. He has saved my life so many times over. He's Merlin, he's not evil, he uses his magic for good use"

Lancelot was surprised at that response, and picked up his glass cup which he stared at. "There are cups made out of glass?" He asked. "Yes, amazing isn't it?" Arthur replied. "People happen to come a very long way" Merlin added, "I've seen it all change"

"Fascinating. Could you explain the new tub and the rest of that shiny room?"

"Maree will explain everything for you after breakfast. Mind that there are applied changes to Camelot but we are keeping traditions" Arthur said. Maree bowed at his words, "I can easily explain everything for you Lancelot" She smiled.

Lancelot doubted the Kilgharrah fact, "Are you really Kilgharrah?"

She gave him a slight glare, "Of course!"

"You'd be surprised" Merlin whispered. "She has features that come from Arthur and I, she really related to us"

"How so?"

"You'll notice sooner or later. She has my brain, but she is also a prat. She is also a very good fighter like Arthur is" Merlin said. Lancelot laughed, "I bet I will see those features sooner or later. But…..she looks a bit like…Morgana"

"She does, because of her hair. Am I right?" Arthur said and Lancelot agreed, "And that pout"

Maree pouted again, "Humph" and Lancelot chuckled. "Ah, thank you for my chainmail and armour. I noticed it on my desk. Did you keep it all this time?"

"Yes, I did. I have your sword as well, would you like it back?"

"Yes, thank you Merlin, I would appreciate it" They start eating and then suddenly Arthur finds a particular fruit and picks it up, "Merlin, remember this?" He asked.

"Oh, yes. We didn't know what it was didn't we?"

"Do we know now since there are a few of them in this bowl?"

"Yup, it's called a plum. It is a fruit and you can eat it"

"Hmm" Arthur then picked the fruit and gave it a try, after taking a bite he winced at the bitter taste. He swallowed and commented "It is a bit bitter though sweet Merlin"

Then he paused. "…..Like you" He whispered which made Merlin's eyes go wide. "…..What do you mean by that?" Merlin whispered back.

" _Shut up Merlin"_

Merlin shutted up and stayed quiet, pretending as if everything is okay. Arthur ate the rest of the plum before setting the pip away. After breakfast was finished, Elizabeth, Arthur and Merlin excused themselves to leave. "We will leave Maree in your care Lancelot, we will see you tonight"

"Have a pleasant day Merlin, Arthur"

"We will, goodbye"

And they left with a couple of waves. Lancelot knew that he was now in Maree's hands. "So, where shall we start sir Lancelot?" She asked.


	32. Chapter 32 - The Pain

Merlin and Arthur were brought into a car separate from the Queen when they left, guards and people waving at them. This made Merlin feel happy on the inside to watch the people wave them off, calling out goodbye to them and some running after the cars. As they drove off onto the highway, Merlin took his attention to Arthur and hit him on the head with a slap.

"What? What did I do?" Arthur yelped, rubbing his head as Merlin turned his head to him. _"I taste like a plum?"_

 _"It was an expression, would you like me to go into detail?"_

Merlin felt himself take a little shuffle back, _"Really? You are going there?"_

 _"It's better than the long tongue of the pixie woman you described"_

 _"Oh Arthur, don't go that way"_ Merlin felt himself shiver. _"I won't"_ Then a grin appeared across his face. _"Where shall I start?"_

 _"Anywhere, just….try not to get hard. Especially in a place like this"_

 _"And try not to blush Merlin, it's incredibly cute when your ears go red, especially with big ones like yours"_ Arthur teased, making Merlin look away. _"Prat"_

 _"Did you bring the royal seal?"_

 _"Yes, I did"_ Merlin puts his hand in his left pocket and pulls out the royal seal before giving it to Arthur. _"Here, it should be with its rightful owner"_

 _"Thank you Merlin"_ Arthur takes it from Merlin's hands and puts it around his neck. _"There, now we have the proof. I really am King Arthur. Thank you Merlin, this wouldn't have happened without you"_

 _"It is my pleasure"_

With a nod, Arthur then looks out the window to take a look outside, his head shifting as he saw new things. "We may not be able to expect ourselves getting back to Camelot tonight, things may stretch out"

"I have to agree, the Palace is a fair way. I don't see us coming back tonight especially when Lancelot is back" Arthur nodded to Merlin. "If we don't get home tonight, how are we to message Maree?"

"I have an idea, don't you worry. I'll handle it"

"So Lancelot, where shall we start?"

Lancelot's eyes darted around the room for one thing, "May I ask what happened to the guards clothing and the number of them?"

"Oh, modern clothing has become more advanced and affordable for most people in developed countries. Since your death, human population has increased dramatically and that makes more workers and people"

"How big exactly?"

"Billons"

Lancelot's mouth gaped. "So why the many guards?"

"Because there are more people, there are more assassins and bad people. And so…we have to increase the number of guards because of Arthur and Merlin's rank of importance"

"I understand"

'Weapons have improved, no one uses swords much anymore. We have better weapons, not that swords are bad against them"

"What about magic?"

She sighed sadly, "No one uses magic anymore. All creatures are gone, pretty much because everyone doesn't believe it in anymore. Merlin and I are the last ones left, adding Arthur who uses magic naturally"

"Arthur?" Lancelot looked at her as if she is crazy. "Arthur can use magic?"

"He is immortal Lancelot, he is bound to Merlin. And if you didn't know, Arthur was born by magic and his son was born the same way in Gwenievere's reign, it's not a surprise that they can both use magic"

 _"Gwenivere had a son…? And he had magic? Arthur too…..if he is immortal and bound to Merlin, then what about me?"_

"Arthur had a son? What was is name?" Lancelot asked and Maree giggled in response, "Arthur Jr Pendragon"

Lancelot smiled, "Typical"

"There have been other Kings that has the name Arthur as a middle name. But no one could ever replace the King he was"

 _"Really?"_

She raised an eye and smiled, "Come on, shall we take a walk around the Castle?"

"Gladly, let's take a look around"

Lancelot was glad that nothing major happened to the Castle, except for the bathrooms that were installed but he approved of them because they were quiet handy. Maree had to explain the plumbing system to Lancelot and show him the kitchen, then they went out into the middle and lower towns where small shops had emerged and new apartment houses had been built brand new and modern though they blended in with the castle. It was shocking at first but he was relieved once he saw Gwenievere's house untouched. They went inside one apartment and Maree explained everything that modern houses had, he had a little trouble with the technology, he couldn't get his head around it but with a bit of practise he was sure to get used to it. Maree then decided to introduce him to the soccer ball as something to have fun with and Lancelot adopted to the idea of playing ball and had the whole afternoon playing soccer with the workers.

 _"Maybe Arthur would like to try it too!"_ Maree thought. That's when she saw a crow cawing after her, it came over and landed on her shoulder which almost frightened her. But she then took her attention to the note attached to his leg and took it off. Once she read it she nodded her head in understanding.

 _"Looks like Arthur and Merlin won't be able to get back to Camelot tonight"_ She thought. _"That will be great to explain things to Lancelot and give him some time if he needs it"_

She then had an idea, the security cameras. If she shows him the security so they can accidentally reveal anything, she can explain instead of telling him straight. She nodded to herself and then called Lancelot over to set her plan into action. "There is something new within the Castle, we don't have any electricity but there is some to operate security cameras to look over everyone so we can make sure that everyone is safe"

"Cameras? Let's take a look then" Lancelot was interested. Maree took a breath and took him to the new security room where all the monitors displayed many areas of the Castle. Lancelot's eye raised, "How are they seeing things?"

"There is a machinery called a camera in each room that can see the area, and they send information about what they can see. However they cannot hear things"

"This is extraordinary" Lancelot looked through each monitor. "So, when something has happened, you can tell the cameras to recall what has happened hours, days or years ago since they have been there"

A monitor with a label below caught his eye "King Arthur's Chambers" and another "Merlin's Chambers". "So if anything happens to Arthur, they can recall everything here. This is very clever"

"This helps people so they can get more sleep, so they don't have to stand at a door 24 hours of the day. Would you like to try rewinding?"

"My pleasure, can you show me how?" Lancelot smiled with excitement, his eyes interested in the new technology. Maree took a breath, with nervousness in her stomach with what he may see, she shows him the controls and he takes pleasure in going backwards into time. "So….this is the time around when you woke up" Maree stopped him and Lancelot took a look at his chamber camera as Merlin and Arthur ran into his room to greet him when he awoke.

"This…." He took a breath, "This is amazing!" He watched trough the tape and then he followed Merlin and Arthur's paths as they went….into Arthur's chambers. His head turned confused and then his smile faded when the two men both changed in the same room. "What…?"

Then he lost it when Arthur and Merlin turned to each other for a kiss before settling into bed and closing the curtains. His eyes were wide with shock, not knowing what to think, he went back and looked at both of their smiling faces. Surely, there was more to this, an explanation, so he kept on rolling back, but there was only more of it. Turning to Maree, she only sighed sadly at his face. She didn't look any less or more shocked than he is. "You know" He said.

"Merlin wants to explain it to you himself. However they both have approval from everyone else, Gwen, Gaius, Kilgharrah, myself"

"How…?"

"I can see spirits, it's an ability that I have"

 _"But why? I don't understand!"_

"They love each other?" He asked. "Yes, but think of it more as life partner. When I first met Merlin he was having nightmares for a long time since Arthur's death, it had taken a heavy toll on his mental health, so to supress that Arthur has been keeping him company at night and…..it stuck"

"I can understand that but….how are they in love with each other?"

"Before answering that question, ask yourself how you fell in love with the last girl you loved?"

Lancelot blinked, there is no how. He then calmed, if there is a good explanation from Merlin later, then he will listen. "Have things changed in this sort of way?"

"Yes, people are allowed to marry whoever they want, even the same gender"

"What about nobility?"

"Ranks don't exist anymore, all people are equal"

 _"Arthur must have done something to cause that…"_

He took a breath, "I will listen to what Merlin has to say when he is ready. Would he speak to me tonight?"

"Ah, unfortunately he sent me a note saying that he won't make it home today since they are very busy with the court"

"How? With a crow?"

"Yeah, was that common way back?"

"Yes it was"

 _"How nice of Merlin to send a message using his traditional ways"_ She thought, "It's getting late. Shall we have dinner?"

Lancelot noticed the new lights starting to light up around the lower towns, "Yes, let's go to the dining hall to have dinner"

Merlin and Arthur stand with their backs straight quietly as a set of maids put new expensive fabric over them and pin them down, measuring their arms and upper body on the way. The room was dead silent as the maids worked. Merlin was smiling at himself for being there with Arthur, he successfully received a rank of the Kingmaker and Arthur is to be put onto the next line of the throne. He felt really proud of himself and for Arthur, he had his hair cut and was getting a new uniform similar to Arthurs, though a rank below him, he felt all new again. Arthur noticed Merlin's pride and wide smile of his, he couldn't help but smile as well. _"Feel happy Merlin?'_

Merlin turned his head to Arthur, _"Yes, it's not unpleasant. You're next in line, I'm to be crowned kingmaker, no Morgana, and Camelot is in peace. Nothing could be better"_

 _"I have to agree, nothing could be better than this, especially with you beside me"_

Merlin smiled again, _"There is nothing better than that smile of yours, it brings great warmth"_

"Sire, are you alright?" Asked one maid, when all they could see is both of them staring at each other. "Yes, we are more than alright. You see we…" Arthur looked at Merlin and back, "We talk to each other in our heads using magic. Like telepathy if you call it, it's becoming a habit to use when speaking privately"

"Please make yourself comfortable my lord, we will pay no mind" The lady bowed.

 _"Well, we do have to sleep in separate rooms tonight. That kind of makes me feel a bit lonely, what if I don't get any sleep? I'll get cranky the next day…"_ Arthur thought.

 _"Don't worry, you can have me for breakfast"_ Merlin looked at Arthur and snorted at his own words. It took Arthur a minute to get it, _"Oh"_

 _"What happened?!"_

 _"What happened? I had to make do without a servant, that's what happened!"_

 _"I wasn't gone for that long!"  
"Without my permission?"_

 _"What if I was dying?"_

 _"I wouldn't be complaining, but you're not, so where have you been?"_

 _"I was dying"_

 _"I don't have time for this. The future of the kingdom rests in my hands, do you have any idea what that feels like?"_

 _"Well-"_

 _"Don't answer that, just give me a very good reason why I shouldn't sack you on the spot so what do you have to say for yourself?"_

 _"You haven't had your breakfast had you?"_

 _"I'll have you for breakfast!"_

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Very funny Merlin" He then let out a huffed laugh when he figured out by what he meant by having him for breakfast. _"You get it?"_

 _"You have one big mouth Merlin"_

Merlin laughed. _"You remember everything"_ Arthur said. _"Especially the time when you misinterpreted what I said by 'Sleeping in a proper bed' it makes me laugh now"_

Arthurs laugh echoed through the room now which surprised most of the maids, because this was Arthur and when he walked in they expected an old man and a brown haired King, not a blonde eyed looking prince with _blue_ eyes and a skinny man that had a really bright smile that was the same age as Arthur. They had a hard time trying to supress their bushes especially in the young ladies, they tittered and stuttered most of the time but they are getting used to the two new legendary figures in the palace. Then an idea popped up in Arthurs mind, _"Do you know the inns and out of this palace?"_

Merlin gave him a look, "Óf course, I watched the palace been built. In fact, I helped"

Some maids lifted an eye at that, "Really? Where did you stay when you served Princess Diana?"

Some maids were stopped in their tracks at the mention of her name. "You served Princess Diana sire?" One of the ladies asked on impulse. Merlin turned his head to her, "Yes" Then he turned back to Arthur, "I like your thinking, I'll show you later"

Arthur found dinner quite….exquisite. He wasn't sure what he was looking at first and Merlin had to explain everything, he was astonished at how the palace was built and its designs were gaped upon. Merlin took him to his chambers where he was placed to sleep for the night, and guided him to a door under the bed which lead to a small underground room.

"This…is where I stayed. My hiding spot" Merlin grabs a candle and lights it. "This…is such a dark place Merlin. Why did you stay down here?"

"Because I liked it, I had plenty of blankets, and I have another door to the outside of the castle. It was my second place to stay in other than Camelot to look after the royal families"

Arthur smiled. He took a look around in the room filled with books, candles, and across the wall…lines. Rows and rows of them. He felt himself go cold, "Are these…."

Merlin sighed sadly, "I counted the years since your death"

Arthur took a moment to himself, letting out a sigh. Then he saw Merlin pick up a big box and lend it over to Arthur, "This is for you"

"For me?" Arthur felt his heart rise up a bit. "This is kind of embarrassing but, I wrote letters about my time while you were gone. I wrote them and kept them here" Merlin said with a bit of a blush in his ears, he gave the box to Arthur. "Thank you Merlin" He said, feeling pleased to have such a loyal friend, "Thank you for thinking of me"

He presses his forehead against Merlin's, "Want to sit down?"

"Yeah, do you have anywhere comfortable for me to read all these?"

Merlin seated him on a super big and comfortable couch with lots of blankets on and joined him, Arthur lying back and Merlin snuggled up close, his head against Arthur's chest. Arthur would stroke Merlin's hair every now and then when he reads the letters. There were some laughter, but mostly sadness. It concerned Merlin, so he told him to stop reading "I don't like seeing you hurt"

Arthur was threatened to spill tears at that point after only 20 letters being read, they were mostly full of sadness but some of them were full of adventure and laughter but they only increased the pain. Merlin cupped his friend's cheeks and pressed his forehead against his, "I shouldn't have given them to you"

"No, Merlin, you have concealed these feelings for too long. You were right to share them with me, all that matters is that we go through this together and we overcome the past" Arthur's body trembled against Merlin's forehead and Merlin trembled in response. "If that is so…."

Arthur grabbed his arms for a moment, "What? Is there more?'

"I have hidden it with my magic for a while. It's been on my shoulders so I should show you…" Merlin took a breath and whispered a spell. Then he took Arthur's hand and slipped it under his shirt. Arthur froze, there was a scar, he traced it with his fingers, but that wasn't the only one. "Take off your shirt" he immediately lifted it up and the sight shocked him.

His body was covered in scars, scars that he received from his past, his battles, his wars, scars that shouldn't be there. On Merlin, his Merlin of all people. And they were a _reminder_. Arthur took his breath, " _Merlin_ "

 _"Why Merlin? Why innocent, happy, clumsy, loyal Merlin? He doesn't deserve this. Any of it. My scars are nothing but this…."_

"Arthur, this is proof of my living. You have won battles yourself have you?"

Arthur nodded and Merlin continued, "Think of them as medals of bravery"

Then Arthur remembered, _"I always thought that you were the bravest man I have ever met"_

"Yes, that's right Merlin" His tears subsided a bit. "I have told you that once, you are the bravest man I've ever met"

Merlin smiled. "That's right. I remember that, more than once. When you first met me remember?"

"That's right" Arthur felt a tear escape. "I remember too" he sniffed a bit. "It's just….they have a deeper meaning that says painful memories"

Merlin's smile went down. "Merlin…..I know you as innocent, happy, clumsy Merlin. Not…..scarred, pained, depressed, hurt Merlin. It's like you're scarred for life and it's my fault"

"Arthur…"

Arthur's teeth grinded against each other and felt himself break, tears poured out of his eyes. "I'm so sorry Merlin…."

"No" Merlin's eyes shone with tears, "We failed each other. I should have done better myself, actually" He said, cupping Arthurs crying face and kissing his eyes as the tears flowed. "I should have stopped Mordred sooner"

"I shouldn't have let him kill me, to leave you all alone…"

"It's no one's fault Arthur" Merlin strokes his hair and something pops up in his head, "Want a hug?" He kisses Arthur's forehead as Arthur hugs him, still shredding tears a bit. "I am still me, I am still here. It's alright, we will recover"

Arthur nodded, "We can start by healing those scars of yours, even if it takes forever"

Merlin smiled, "We have the time"

Arthur then wipes his eyes and takes a moment, "Maybe this will work…" He leans back with Merlin in his back, facing him. "You never had magic to health them to begin with right?"

Merlin shook his head, "No, I never got the chance to. But I kept them because I felt as if they had the importance to be shown to you"

"Figures" Arthur takes a breath, "Let's see if this works"

"What works?"

"Þurhhæle licsar min" And Arthurs eyes shone gold, a few scars slowly disappeared from Merlin's body. "Arthur" Merlin gasped, "Where did you learn that?"

"I had a few peeks at that magic book of yours, you can thank me later"

Arthur repeats the spell a couple of times till all of the scars were almost completely gone. "Thank you Arthur, though your magic is a bit dodgy on the side. With practise you can use it well"

Arthur smiled as he pulled Merlin's shirt back down, "Though I have to say, Jr had a bit of dodgy magic too in his youth, he repeated spells so much at the time until he got it right"

"I'm glad that you're so brave Merlin, I cannot express enough thanks for what you have done and for what you have gone through for me" He gives him a kiss. "I feel as if we will be able to pull through this together"

"If Morgana or Mordred comes back?"

Arthur nodded, "For now, let's hope that they will never appear in front of our faces ever again"

Maree rose up the next morning happily and decided to take a walk to the Lake of Albion, and asked Lancelot if he wanted to come. However, she had some doubts about whether the Lake will be either peaceful or dreadful, if ever someone ever happens to arise from the water. She had a gut feeling that something was wrong. So she packed something for emergencies upon her belt along with her sword.

"Isn't the weather lovely today miss?" Lancelot asked as they stepped out of Camelot, starting their walk. "I have to agree, it is the perfect weather" She replied, smiling back. "Merlin and Arthur must be missing all this"

"Surely, they will have some of their own time. Hopefully they will be back soon"

"Yeah" And she hoped that they better.

They journeyed on their walk in silence, admiring the weather. But it was cold, horribly cold. The closer they got to the Lake, the more magic she sensed. She started to worry.

"Something wrong?" Lancelot asked, noticing her shuddering from the cold sense and dark magic. She looked at him and looked back at the lake from afar, "I think we should get there immediately, something is terribly wrong" And bolted.

"Hey!" Lancelot ran after her, "Wait up!"

In the middle of her running as she slowed down and caught up with her breath, Lancelot stopped too with confusion in his mind. "What does Morgana look like?" She asked.

Lancelot's head turned, "Curly long black hair, beautiful, white skin, I don't know, why?!"

"I'll explain once we get there" And she ran again.

Merlin and Arthur met each other that morning with smiles on their faces, feeling better after the night before. "Feeling alright Arthur?" Merlin asked. "Yes, much better"

They both took notice of their new clothes, both having the Pendragon symbol on them, they felt mighty proud. They had been notified that a new crown for Arthur is being made, Merlin considered his original crown but they kept it as a thing of the past in the medieval times from when Arthur ruled as King before he died.

"Everything all sorted?" Arthur gestured to his clothes, Merlin took a good look and adjusted something, "It's quite comfortable actually"

"I have to agree" Merlin took his time, "There, all good-"

Merlin felt himself slow down, everything slowed around him, and eventually his eyes closed. "Merlin?" He heard.

"Merlin!" Arthur yelled before he dropped, but Arthur caught him before he could hit the floor. "Merlin…." Arthur put a hand to his forehead, _"I thought you told me you we're okay…."_

 _"ARTHUR!"_ He heard Maree's voice shout in his head. With a flinch, he responded, _"Maree, what are you- Merlin collapsed! What is going on?!"_

 _"Arthur…..we have trouble"_

Arthur felt himself go cold, _"What?"_

 _"Morgana's back"_

Maree felt herself drop when she saw a black figure once she finally approached the lake. She approached the figure cautiously, her hand lowering down to her belt and eventually to her gun.

"Declare yourself" She said, feeling Lancelot behind her back, looking pretty petrified as well. And then the figure turned around, her mouth gaped. "Morgana?" She spoke. Looking at her, she was surprised, she…..almost looked like her. Morgana stared back, looking quite confused, looking like she expected someone else.

"Name yourself" She said.

Maree took a breath, "Maree Pendragon" She said, Morgana glared at her in response. "I'm your niece" She added.

"I find that hard to believe, did that pitiful brother of mine survive?"

"No, you succeeded Morgana"

Morgana smiled, "Then I expect that it is my time to rule Camelot, except that Gwen will be in my way sister"

Maree huffed out a laugh. "Gwen is dead"

Morgana smiled even wider in response, "Brilliant, I trust that you are the last Pendragon that I will ever see?" She then noticed Lancelot behind her, "Including him?"

"Morgana, it's been 150,000 years. Everything is gone, magic isn't practised anymore, and everything is forgotten, whatever role you have Morgana, there is no more you can do for it anymore"

Morgana was puzzled, "How long? Are you saying that there is no more Camelot?"

"Listen Morgana, the story of Arthur and Merlin is a legend. And I'm sad to say, you are an enemy to this world"

"I have to go back to Camelot!" Arthur declared, carrying Merlin in his arms. "It's my duty, something has happened and I MUST go!"

Arthur got a ride down back to Camelot among his word immediately, and Merlin was frightened as he woke up on the way. Arthur told him to stay calm as they are going back to see what may be wrong, when they arrived, they went straight to the great hall where Maree told them where they would be.

Guards were literally everywhere, and they held a black figure down upon Maree's word as she held a gun to the figures head. However, she was covered and they couldn't see who it was, but Merlin feared the worst. Maree held this glare that stared many daggers than Arthur had seen before, like looking straight into his Fathers face.

Lancelot stood by Maree's side, looking rather petrified but Arthur held his breath. "Maree, put the gun down"

Maree did so and put it away in its socket. Arthur turned to Merlin and they nodded to each other, ready to face what they may see. And Arthur….takes the bag off her head that covered her face. Morgana looked up, and scowled at the view of Merlin and Arthur standing side by side together.

"Morgana" Arthur let his breath go.

"Arthur Pendragon, Merlin, or should I say….Emrys?" She then looked at Maree, "You said everything is gone!"

"Gwen, Gaius, Percival, everything is gone but Merlin is immortal and Arthur has been back for some time now. Camelot is still standing" Maree said.

"Whether you like it or not Morgana, magic will come back. And it will come back the right way"

"How did she get out of the Lake?" Merlin questioned Maree without a thought. "I have no idea, she came out with force and without talking or asking my permission"

Merlin whispered to Arthur, "I have made many mistakes with her, I can't make another again"

"Do we have anything that could bind her magic somehow?" Arthur whispered back, "I can bind it, lock it away so she can never use it again" Merlin recommended, "She is weak and under heavy guard here, no one can side with her, the world is against her"

"She can be under our control. When matters come to this Merlin, bind her magic"

"Take her away to the dungeons" Arthur told the guards and Arthur went along with them, following with Merlin and Maree. Merlin took some cuffs and put them on her as they took her into the dungeons, as the guards held her down Merlin took a breath and casted a strong spell. "What are you-" Morgana was startled, "Don't- please-"

Morgan was well unconscious when the spell was done and finished, Merlin took the cuffs off and gave them to Arthur. The spell had took much of his energy as well and couldn't take to hold the magic binding cuffs.

Arthur also felt the cuffs touch him as well, he almost whimpered at the touch of them. "You have done well Merlin, we should rest and see to Buckingham palace matters later" He took his brothers arm and walked along with him.

"Good work Maree" Arthur said, "You acted fast, and you did it well. And because you did, nothing went out of place"

Maree wanted to smile but was still concerned about the situation with Morgana, she forced a small smile. "I did what I had to do"

"I'm proud of you my daughter"

This time Maree smiled but it went down seconds later, "So it starts"

Arthur nodded, "It has"


	33. Chapter 33 - So it starts

Everything happened so quickly, how on earth did Maree get so many guards at one place? They all popped out of nowhere at her word and took Morgana down within seconds, ten times faster than the guards they had back in Camelot long ago. They were all properly trained, each and every one of them. And Maree threatened Morgana to use any of her magic, or a single silver bullet would kill her within one shot. The weapon was the second weapon below Excalibur to be able to kill the immortal, Morgana listened and obeyed. She took her straight to Camelot in a hurry without any hesitation. Just like Uther, when he wasn't even hesitant to execute a sorcerer, he'd put them down on the spot to handle the issue quickly.

"Lancelot" Arthur called out his name, and Lancelot's head turned instantly to Arthur. "Arthur" He took a breath to catch up with reality. "How are you?" Arthur asked him. "Petrified to be honest, everything happened all so quickly"

"Sorry about that, modern days are quick to act. The guards are properly trained than the past guards, even Merlin himself was able to knock them out"

"I have noticed…." Lancelot then recalled the memories of him seeing the camera footage. He blushed a bit, "Including your position with Merlin"

Arthur was confused, "Position?"

"Not as you being the next heir and Merlin being Merlin…..it's the er…private end of your relationship with him"

"How do you know?" Arthur breathed, "The security cameras"

Arthur figured, "Merlin must have let you see them, because he used magic to make illusions for them to cover us" His mind went into thinking, "I don't expect you to understand"

"I know" Lancelot said, "We were born in a generation that opposed against this"

"Yes. I am quite aware. But I believe that the only way you can accept us, is to see how much I care for Merlin and how much he cares for me. When I met him again, he was in pieces, and he is slowly coming back together emotionally and mentally"

"Maree told me he was having nightmares" Lancelot mentioned. "He was. Not only does he have nightmares, he has been scarred and it may take centuries for him to repair himself and he can't do it without me"

"I can understand the position Merlin is in. It must be hard for him"

"Difficult actually" Then he thought for a moment, "Come with me" He started walking on and Lancelot followed him. Arthur took him all the way to his chambers where Merlin was taking a nap on the bed, obviously fallen asleep with items floating around. Arthur huffed and put the items down in their right places.

Merlin was mumbling in his sleep a bit, this told Arthur that Merlin is obviously stressed about something. He approached him and shook his shoulder a bit, "Merlin" He whispered and he opened his eyes at Arthurs voice, "It's okay, don't worry about Morgana"

"I am a tad worried, I destroyed Mordred's sword long ago and I took her magic, she won't be able to do a thing, just maybe try and take Excalibur and kill you with it"

"I will not let that happen, you have my word" Arthur said, giving him a kiss on the cheek to calm him down a bit. "I will have you teach me some more magic, it will come to be useful for both of us if we are going to get through this"

"I will be honoured to teach you"

Maree stood guard looking over Morgana in her jail cell, wondering if she will ever wake up at some point. After an hour she settled and decided to let the guards watch over her, telling them to let her know immediately if she wakes. She didn't need to worry, Morgana's magic has been blocked, it cannot be used anymore, besides, they have the upper hand.

She went back up to the castle and searched for Arthur, only to find him in his room with Merlin and Lancelot. Merlin is in bed napping whilst Arthur strokes his cheek, she just stood in the doorway to watch in case if anyone wanders by.

Arthur was smiling as he stroked Merlin's cheeks, "I have to go, I have to settle the issues between the Queen" He takes away his hand. Merlin whined a bit, "Then I'll come with you"

"Are you sure? You need your rest"

"I am not letting you go around without me, Morgana is here" Merlin reaches out for Arthurs hand and gives it a light grip. "Lancelot will look after me, Maree too. Don't you worry, you can't protect me when you are unstable can you?"

"Ok…." Merlin gives him a sad smile. "Be safe" Arthur could feel his pain with a shot of an arrow, "Don't give me that face Merlin, I am going to be alright"

" _Merlin is afraid….of what Morgana may do to me…."_ Arthur thought sadly. "I will be back soon" Arthur gives him a kiss before standing and nodding to Lancelot. Then they went out the door. Maree followed after Arthur and Lancelot shut the door quietly, as he saw them both go off into the hall he opens the door with concern to hear Merlin silently crying. _"Poor Merlin….this must not be easy for both of them"_

Lancelot joined Arthur and Maree to see to Queen Elizabeth and to handle their plans, they were to continue the next morning and Arthur agreed to it, applying Maree to watch over Morgana for the night and decided to do some training with Lancelot. It surprised the knight that Arthur could do things himself without Merlins help but he was very quiet at dinner when Merlin was still sleeping but he believed that it was best that he had his rest and have a good breakfast tomorrow. The look of worry was all over his face.

"Go on Father, Merlin needs you" Maree said, and Arthur didn't hesitate to go back to Merlins side, being separated pained him and Lancelot could clearly see and feel it in him. He had never seen a King so concerned before in his life.

"Merlin?" Arthur called out once he entered the room, he shut the door behind him and took off his new jacket. He then went over to the bed in worry to crouch down next to Merlins side, "Merlin" he whispered, "I'm here" He strokes Merlin's cheeks and he opens his eyes. "Arthur" Merlin breathed, "You're alive" He smiled widely.

"Had any nightmares?"

"Little ones"

"I was so worried, I don't like it when I leave you alone" Arthur takes him into a hug. "It's alright, it's not like I don't trust everyone" He brings out a completely black rock from his hand and tapped it on Arthur, he looked at it and smiled. "You used it again? We really need to find another ones cause this one seems to have run out"

"Yeah" Merlin laughed, "It really does work" Arthur looked back at him, then he got an idea. "Merlin?"

"Yeah?"  
"Do we have any big long blankets?"

Merlin lifted his head at Arthur's wondrous look on his face, "We do, why?"

"Where are they?"

"In the drawer over there" Merlin pointed to it, then Arthur went for the drawer and pulled out three blankets, really big ones. Merlin got out of bed, sitting on the sheets in curiosity. When Arthur turned back to Merlin he looked at the boxers he was wearing.

"What are those?" He asked.

Merlin looked down at his boxers, "These? They are called boxers, but they are underclothes in our sense"

"Are they comfortable?" Arthur asked, curious if he could try a pair himself. "Yeah they are, they are not loose like the ones we used to have. They are real comfortable, there is a pair that I have kept for you in your underclothes drawers"

Arthur put the blankets down on the bed and got out a new pair of boxers from a drawer, feeling like that he had just obtained a birthday present from Merlin. "Try them on" Merlin suggested and then Arthur grinned as he started stripping out of his clothes in front of Merlin. "Arthur!" Merlin laughed, "You utter prat, you have no shame!"

"Indeed" Arthur said, throwing his shirt at Merlin who grabs it and throws it away onto the floor. Arthur got quite comfortable in his new boxers and didn't mind the new modern thing. "Not bad"

Merlin smiled, nodding, agreeing with the new look. "Modern clothes may just look good on you"

Arthur then grabbed a blanket and started to hang it up in the roof upon the bed, tucking it in from one side to the other for each three corners of the bed. "What are you doing?" Merlin asked.

"Making a tent" Arthur said, grabbing a small low table and a pack of cards. Sitting down on one side of the bed and placing the table in front of Merlin, "Cards? Let's make a tower"

"When did you learn that?"

"Maree gave me a pack and I came with the idea, that way you can't cheat with the games I play with you". Merlin scoffed, "Yeah right"

Merlin was unexpectedly into making an incredibly good tower of cards, he was so focused and Arthur would give him another card when he needed one. But it was dark as well so Merlin held up a glowing ball of magic beside him, which impressed Arthur that Merlin could do all that at the same time.

"Aaaaand….done!" Merlin placed the final card on the top of the tower. "Well done Merlin!, I am very impressed" Arthur clapped. "Thank you Arthur"

"What now?" Arthur said. Looking at the tower of cards, "Hmm….."

Then Arthur blowed the whole stack of cards down, Merlin yelped in surprise and his ball of light went down. "Clotpole" He said, muttering, "Shit, you blew the whole thing down!" He shook his body to get the cards off, "Shit?" Arthur didn't know what the word meant.

"It's a swear word Arthur, a modern one" Merlin explained. "Right" Arthur smiled, taking the cards off Merlin. "That was fun"

"Have you tried a ball? Or seen one?"

"What is that?"

Merlin went out and came back with a small sphere in his hands, "What is that?" Arthur pointed at it. "Here, try and throwing it on the floor" He gives the ball to Arthur who gives it a light squeeze.

"Ok…" He got up from the bed and tried giving it a random throw on the ground, without expecting it the ball _bounces_ straight back up, which gives Arthur a sudden fright. He backed away and almost fell amongst a cupboard. Merlin burst out laughing, "That's how I reacted!" The ball bounces a couple of times before slowing down and it just lays on the ground.

"MeRlin, that thing just…..bounced!" Arthur said, his eyes full of surprise. "That's….amazing!" he went up to the ball and bounces it again before he starts to get used to it. "This is really fun!"

"Yeah, there are different kinds of other balls as well which you can play games with as well. We can try it out someday, it'll be fun!"

"I don't see why not" Arthur looks at the ball and puts it away. "Thank you for showing this amazing new thing with me"

"No worries, its fun anyway" Merlin then collects all the cards that are scattered all over the bed, Arthur helps, they put the cards together and put them back in its box. "Where is your neckerchief Merlin?" Arthur thought out loud when he noticed that it was gone. "I put it away with my clothes"

"I have noticed that you wear it even with your Court Sorcerers clothes, it symbolises you" Arthur said which makes Merlin smile, "It does"

Arthur then noticed a slight scar on the back of Merlin's neck, "What is that?"

"What?"

"There is a scar on the back of your neck" Arthur pointed out, "Oh that? That was Morgana's doing, she got control of me once and I was under her power, I tried to kill you, as Gaius told me once. Unfortunately I cannot remember what happened"

Arthur cringed, "I can't believe it, how the heck did I survive? Maybe you were too clumsy to try and kill me, thank goodness for that"

"I do remember you claiming that I was in the tavern for two whole days and you had George as a manservant"

"Oh that? That…..so that's what was going on!"

"What happened?"  
Arthur went silent and cleared his troat, "Gwen claimed that my bath was too cold, and you were gone to remedy it. Gaius was there too, and oh, she saw me completely naked"

Merlin chuckled, "That must have been awful!"

"I was changing, thinking that you were there and all of a sudden there was Gwen! It was embarrassing Merlin!" Merlin was laughing loudly, "That must have been a good sight to see". "Merlin!" Arthur hit him in the head, "Ow!" Arthur just chuckled at his reaction and pulled Merlin closer to him, Merlin settled on his lap and relaxed until Arthur kisses the back of his neck.

"Easy there, I'm sensitive at that spot" Merlin squirmed. "So I can see" Arthur chuckled, rubbing in a circular motion on Merlin's chest. This seems to always calm him down somewhat what he is tense. Merlin turned his neck to face Arthur who is smiling at him, "Never mind about Gwen though, I've already seen all of that way too much" Merlin threw some words at him, because he noticed, he gets cheeky when it comes to Merlin and likes to play around with him.

Arthur grinned, holding Merlin with his arms around his waist. "So have I"

Maree had been notified right away when Morgana woke up, she excused herself from the dinner table and went straight to the dungeons. She didn't get any orders from Arthur but she had a plan in mind, so she went down there to see a very angry Morgana. "Guards, you may leave" She dismissed the guards, which confused Morgana for one thing so she dropped her guard and then Maree opened the jail door and stepped inside, shutting the door behind her.

"You have left me unchained, yet unguarded. What do you expect of me?" Morgana asked. "Morgana, I want you to ask you a question, your answer may decide on your fate"

Morgana made no comment, "How did you get out of the lake?" Maree asked. "I made a deal with the lady of the lake"

"Go on"

"I am to dismiss the souls of your friends and leave Mordred to rust away, never to return. In exchange, I am to be released within 20 years"

"You made a deal with my Mother?" Maree was surprised that she even agreed to it but it was a fair deal. "You dismissed Mordred's life for your own?"

"It's the least I could do to get myself out of that bloody lake, I am not here to interfere with anything. I am simply interested in the events of the future. You have left me powerless, the least I can do now is beg for mercy"

Maree sighed, "Morgana, you cannot go outside of Camelot. At least not now, you are staying inside for a reason"

"And what is that?"

"The story of Arthur and Merlin is a legend now, but the problem is that there are many other fake legends. And most of them claim that you are Arthur's first wife"

Morgana couldn't help but laugh, she had never laughed so much in centuries. "That is very hard to believe"

"And for the souls you released…..they have been put to rest" Maree said.

"How?" Morgana was surprised. "These people you released…..Gwenivere, Gaius, Arthur Jr, and Uther Pendragon, they have been put to rest and Uther was not easy. But he has accepted Merlin and that he has magic, he has shown reason to us and that he understands what errors he has done"

"Has he mentioned me?"

"If he were still here he will apologise to you like he has apologised to Gwen for killing her Father, and Merlin for what he has done to protect Arthur"

There was a moment of silence, "Merlin and I are the only warlocks and magic users left in the world, along with Arthur. When Arthur becomes King, he will bring magic back, so if you happen to be here to plot anything or revenge….there is no need for it anymore"

"Arthur uses magic?" Morgana's eyes widened with shock. "Yes" Maree nodded her head, "He uses it in his sword Excalibur as well, but before you even think of touching it, there are thousands of guards around and eyes watching you all day and night. So, if you do try anything, we will find out" She warned.

Morgana was in disbelief. "Now, I must introduce myself"

"I am Maree, the resurrection of the Great Dragon Kilgharrah, the daughter of the lady of the lake and blood of Merlin and Arthur, I am your niece, Uther's grand daughter and a seer" She approaches Morgana, "Nice to meet you Aunt Morgana"

Morgana smiled at her, "I can see that the minute I look at you. What will you do to me?"

"First, I will settle you into your chambers, you need a bath. I will get you some dinner, and you need some rest, you must have had a hard time settling even at a time like this. You just got out of the lake and your magic taken from you, you must be tired"

" _Huh?"_ Morgana thought, "You are very strange" She commented. "Surely a Pendragon wouldn't treat me this way, even after what I have done"

"Morgana, please don't generalise our family. Everyone is different here, besides, I am not a person that will hate someone at first sight, not until I understand them"

"You pointed a weapon at me!" Morgana snarled.

"You were too dangerous. I apologise for the rush of events but these were Kilgharrah's actions, not mine. I don't trust you either, but I hope that we will develop that trust over the future" Maree goes over to the dungeon door and opens it, "Follow me"

Morgana followed cautiously with eyes on the back of her head. She didn't trust her either, they walked out of the dungeons and through the familiar hallways, Morgana was impressed that Camelot was still standing even after all of these centuries, as they went through Morgana stopped to take a glance at Arthurs chambers when they heard laughter from the room. Morgana looked at Maree who smiled. "Looks like Merlin is alright"

"What do you mean?" Morgana asked. "Merlin is badly scarred for life, emotionally and mentally. He has lived for centuries without Arthur and has been lonely for so long, and his death has damaged him so much" She sighed sadly, "If he appears unstable in front of you, don't be surprised"

Morgana smiled to herself, she didn't need to do anything, her presence itself may give pain to Merlin without any intention. "Let us walk on" She said and went to Morganas chambers, they happened to be the one that she had long ago and surprisingly everything of her belongings were put in place.

"Merlin kept everything carefully over the centuries" Maree said and Morgana was surprised, "How unexpectedly nice of him" She picked up on of her mirrors from her dressing table.

"He guarded the place with his life. Now, the bath is different these days, I will explain it to you, I will just have a maid get you some dinner while I will draw you a bath"

Maree went out the door and spoke with a maid before going to the bathroom, quickly making a bath and coming back out. "Your bath is ready, would you like a maid to help you wash or have another maid do it for you?"

"I can manage myself just fine, thank you"

"There are some towels for you to use beside the bath, once you are done just jump out. The maids will do the rest for you, your dinner will come, and your belongings are all in place so I assume that you will have no problems at all"

Morgana nodded, "Good night Morgana, I will pick you up in the morning. There is a bracelet on your desk just in case if you have any nightmares"

"Hold on" Morgana stopped Maree before she could leave, "Who put this bracelet here?" Morgana looked at the bracelet.

"Merlin did"

"That is all, I will see you in the morning"

Maree nodded and left the room, locking the door after.

" _That wasn't so bad"_ Maree thought, _"We will see what tomorrow brings"_

"Merlin?" Arthur held a fragile body in his hands, the man was sleeping late as usual. Merlin would be the one to usually wake up first back in the old days of Camelot and annoy him with his morning "Get up lazy dazy" or "early bird catches the worm!" but not anymore, Arthur was usually the first to wake up now. It wouldn't be strange though, he has lived for a very long time. "Meeerlin" Arthur said in a singsong, he would wake up usually like this and he didn't mind it. "It's morning"

Merlin smacked his lips which made Arthur chuckle, he wasn't surprised. "Arthur?" Merlin spoke, his eyes still not open yet and then he let out a small groan, "My back.."

"My bad" Arthur chuckled again, not feeling guilty at all. "At least I'm not cold" Merlin added, glad for one thing.

"You snuggle up real close to avoid that, I've noticed. But I am told that I snore, doesn't that annoy you at least a little?"

"Oh yes, you snore. But I actually enjoy listening to you snore, it helps me sleep better"

"How so?!" Arthur was surprised, who actually enjoys listening to someone snore through the night? Wouldn't that usually keep them up? Gwen complained.

"Because it reminds me that you're alive and breathing" Merlin snuggled closer to Arthur. Really now? At least it makes him happy. "Well, at least open your eyes sleepyhead"

"Don't wanna" Merlin mumbled, his eyes still closed. For a moment Arthur enjoyed Merlin's sleeping face, looking totally innocent and cute. _"Gods, how did I fall in love with this man? And Merlin out of all people…"_

"Want me to magic you awake again Merlin?" Arthur said and Merlin groaned, his eyes opened straight away to see Arthurs grinning face of accomplishment. "We have to clean up anyway, my stomach feels weird"

"I'll go get some wet towels" Arthur offered, getting about to get out of bed, "No, I'll get them, it'll wake me up some more anyway" Merlin got up and stumbled, almost falling over face first. "Whoa!"

"Are you okay Merlin?" Arthur got concerned, his back was still sore. "I'm fine, it's not as bad as last time" Merlin puts his hands on his back and stretches, letting out a groan until a small click was heard. Arthurs face scrunched up at the sound, "Are you sure you are okay?"

"Yes, just fine. That was much better" Merlin let out a sound of relief before going into the bathroom and coming back with some small warm wet towels "Here" He got onto the bed and gave him one, straight away they get to wiping each other off.

"We didn't get the bed dirty did we?" Arthur asked. "No, I made sure of that. We can't have the maids put into a position when they have to clean up our mess"

"Yeah" Arthur breathed, his eyes darting all along Merlin's body. "That spell you did last night….is it still in effect?"

"Yeah, but you did release inside, so you're going to help me get it all out of me, whatever is left I can dismiss with magic"

"Alright, get on all fours then" Arthur said, grabbing Merlin's towel and Merlin got up on all fours, sticking his ass up and Arthur started to clean his mess. Spreading his buttocks apart, he stuck two fingers in and spread them apart to see inside.

"Merlin…..there's a lot in there…" Arthur gaped at his own fluids. "When was I ever this thick?"

"You have slept in a lake for 15 hundred years Arthur, of course you're thick, I knew you would be but I was surprised that first time" Merlin said while Arthur started cleaning. "Same goes for me, I've never dated anyone besides you"

"What about Freya?"

"We only kissed"

"I'm your first time?!" Arthur exclaimed, almost yelling.

"Ssssh!" Merlin whacked Arthur in the head, "Quiet", "Even if it wasn't, I wouldn't have a sore back"

"Good point"

Merlin's stomach buckled up to try and supress the good feeling of being tampered with by Arthurs fingers and moaned at the feeling of Arthurs breath touching his skin.

"Try not to get aroused Merlin" Arthur said, still cleaning. "Oh yeah, you're fiddling with my arse, and staring at it, that is definitely not arousing" Merlin huffed, "Yeah right, it's a damn tease" He mumbled.

"Don't get so cocky Merlin, I am almost done" Arthur cleans up before he is finally done. "All good"

Merlin sighed, muttering a spell, he feels his butt ease up and he gets up. "Done, I'll wash these" Merlin takes the wet towels before Arthur gives him a morning kiss. "We have to go back to Buckingham palace to continue what we left off there yesterday"

"I'll get these washed quickly"

"Rise and shine!" Maree opens the curtains of Morgana's chambers, she heard a low groan from the older woman but Maree remained cheerful. "You sound like Merlin goofing off first thing in the morning" She covered her head with the sheets. "But I don't hear any complaining"

"You regularly hear Merlin in the morning from Arthur's chambers from here?"

"Yes. I used to, that's how I used to wake up, Merlin was like an alarm clock sometimes"

"Funny, I didn't know because I cannot hear anything when I am asleep, even if I am awake before them I don't hear any complaining, from Arthur?"

"Yes"

" _I wonder why that is so…"_ Morgana thought.

Maree noticed that Merlin was cheery yet again, which was good once in a while because when Merlin was happy, Arthur was too. The only difference was that Maree came in to the dining room with Morgana. With a loud creak of the doors, Maree and Morgana came in. At that time, Merlin's smile dropped. "What….?"

Arthur rolled his eyes at this particular act, she will be Maree, she will do it with Uther and she will do it with Morgana as well, he was not surprised. "Father, Morgana came here upon a deal with the lady of the lake twenty years ago. She released everyone and dismissed Mordred, he won't ever be coming back, therefore releasing herself in return"

Merlin let out a huge sigh of relief, "Oh _god_ " Arthur rubs Merlin's back, smiling, "See Merlin? That is a lot of weight gone, you feel alright?"

" _Yes_ " Merlin almost choked, he then let out a laugh.

"Morgana, come" Arthur signalled her to come over and then Merlin became cautious yet again, Arthur let Maree seat her next to Lancelot, a short distance away from Merlin so he doesn't get too uncomfortable.

"Have you slept well?" Arthur asked her. "Just fine thank you"

Straight answers as usual, Merlin freely let himself fill everyone's cups openly with magic before Morgana stared at the new cups like Arthur did. "Maree told me that you have magic"

Arthur flinched in his seat, "Yes, I have only just started using it a little bit, aside from my sword. I cannot do things like Merlin does of course though, moving things in mid-air"

Merlin smiled when Arthur looked at him. "Arthur, I have to remind you that we cannot have Morgana walk outside of Camelot" Maree informed him. "Yes, I am aware of that"

"No, it's not that. In the fake legends, Morgana is said to be your first wife" Maree explained, Arthur's face scrunched up and he almost choked on his water. " _Gods!_ "

Merlin laughed, "It's true, I was shocked when I found out"

"But what about Gwenivere?!"

"She is said to be your second wife"

"You can't be serious. This is madness" Arthur grumbled as Merlin grabbed a tissue and started cleaning his shirt. "I'm afraid it is, but I agree with you Arthur. We have to have Morgana stay inside of Camelot at all times"

"I will see to it that the guards watch over her. Maree, you should walk with her at all times, especially when we get back to Buckingham Palace today. After that, we have free time until next week, then there will be celebrations for a week, then I will be crowned King"

"So while we have free time, we can spend time with Morgana" Maree concluded. Morgana gave her a look, but ignored her and eats her breakfast instead. "So dear Brother, you are going to be King of Camelot again?"

"Not just Camelot" Merlin said, "I am going to be King of this entire country"

Morgana halted. "Along with 69 countries following after" Merlin added.

At this time, Morgana realised that she is completely powerless. She had to think about this, now that she is in Camelot, what could she do while she had the chance to live? Maree was right, there is a no chance or even a reason, even if she did, she wouldn't have the power to try and take over. Magic is being brought back under Arthur's hand, and that is what she wants. The past is the past, and that is what Maree is showing, respect. She took a sigh, "Then it looks like my reason for me being here is uncertain" She said, eating her breakfast in silence.

Merlin and Arthur looked at each other in wonder, with that Maree touched her arm a bit. "Merlin…."

"Yes?"

"Morgana isn't cold anymore"


	34. Chapter 34 - The Key to Break the Circle

Morgana was warm, just a little bit. A little source of hope came for Merlin and Arthur.

"Oh don't get your hopes up" Morgana responded as she pushed away Maree's arm. "I will stay inside, I guess that the library will keep me company"

"Maree will watch over you" Arthur said and Morgana gives Maree a side glance. "No hard feelings" Maree glanced back at her and went back to drinking out of her cup. "His decision not mine"

"Lancelot too" Arthur added which made Morgana roll her eyes.

" _So Arthur, I think that it is completely necessary that we may all agree on making sure that Morgana never finds out that you and Merlin are in a relationship"_ Maree suggested seriously.

" _Yes, I definitely agree"_ Merlin and Arthur said in unison. _"If she ever finds out…..she will know what our weakness is, and use it. We cannot trust her for everything that she may do"_

" _Agreed. So while I am here, let the cameras remain blinded. And I will make sure that she never finds out"_ Maree said.

" _Then let us be cautious"_

Arthur took a moment to think. And then finished his breakfast, _"Whatever happens Merlin. Our private life stays private"_

" _There may be one day that she might mend some events together and figure it out"_ Maree considered, _"Yes, she might. Let us do our best"_

Once everyone finished their breakfast, it was time for Arthur and Merlin to leave. "Have a good day Morgana, settle in and hopefully things will go swiftly for you" Arthur said to Morgana.

"We shall see"

Arthur his stomach cringe a little, not for himself, but for Merlin. But then Merlin approached her, "Morgana" He bowed his head a little, "Do you feel any pain in your stomach?"

"None, what are you talking about?"

"The time when I killed you with Excalibur. Arthur still has his scar from Mordred"

Morgana considered this, "There is no pain Merlin, do not worry about me". Merlin let out a small breath, "Good, pleasure to know. Have a good day"

With that, Merlin left with Arthur, and Morgana watched them go.

"What are those big metal things?" Morgana asked. "They are called automobiles, or cars for short, they are a type of modern transport. People don't use horses anymore" Maree explained, "Not generally but they are still used"

"They seem a bit noisy. I like horses better in my sense" Morgana said, Lancelot agreed. "I agree too" Maree said, "Would you like to go to the library? There are new books, though most of them are in English"

"What is English?"

"People don't speak Brittonic anymore, the language people speak now is called English, it came down from Latin so there is actually western magic using the language"

Morgana raised an eye, "That is quite interesting, some people still use magic?"

"Yes, though it does not come from the old religion. The magic that Merlin, Arthur, I and you use Morgana. People still remember the druids, sorcerers, Uther's reign and mostly Arthur and Merlins Legend"

"You are joking" Morgana's voice became a tad angry. "No, Arthur is the great King that everyone knows. Thought most legends know him as an older man than his actual age and Merlin much older than Arthur"

"Merlin in his old age, Dagoon the great" Morgana sighed, recalling memories. "Ah, so I've read" Maree giggled to herself.

"You know?"

Maree paused. _"Oh crud, Merlin's diary…..is it safe? Not safe? I should check first…."_

"Give me a minute, come with me" Maree signalled them to come and she then went to the great hall. She found the cupboard where Merlin kept a second copy, and with relief, it was there. She took a moment to flip through all of the pages of content, and did a spell to grab all of the information just in case, she took a moment.

" _Arthur"_ She called in her mind.

" _What is the matter Maree?"_ Arthur replied. _"Err…..Is it okay to show Morgana Merlin's diary?"_

Maree swore she heard Merlin cough, _"What?"_ Merlin joined in and then there was a huge sigh, _"If it works with Uther, it may work with her. Do it"_ Arthur said.

" _Wait! Oh come on you big prat, it may be a good idea but-but-but-but, no! Argh….go ahead then….."_ Merlin sighed.

Maree extended the book out to Morgana, "Here, this is the original legend. Aka, Merlin's diary" Maree said, which made Morgana instantly interested. "Oh?" She takes the book, "This will be interesting"

Lancelot sighed, "I hope we are doing the right thing"

They all went to the library where Morgana sat herself down on a chair to start reading the book. Maree hoped that things would go well, so to distract herself, she turned her attention to Lancelot. "So…." She sighed. Lancelot sighed back, "We have the time, let us just enjoy ourselves"

"Hmmm…" Maree thinks about what she would do, but then the information she grabbed from the book with a spell earlier was interesting, so she decided to grab a chair and sit next to Morgana. Morgana gave her a slight glare, "What?"

"Don't mind me, I'm just going to read this as well"

Lancelot sighed again, and decided to join them as well, soon their eyes were all completely glued to the book. It was terribly interesting, Morgana smiled a bit when she read that Merlin had a small crush on Morgana at first sight. It was awfully satisfying to read about Merlin's thoughts about Arthur in the early years after he was made his manservant, but there was a lot of worry for Morgana, the content of that surprised her how much he cared, then the more they read, the more guilt and frustration there was, and then Merlin had enough, he was fed up, and angry.

Their eyes clicked open, and realised that the sun was to set. They had been glued to a book all day and didn't realise. "Arthur and Merlin should be back any minute" Lancelot said, "I'll go and set for dinner"

"Agreed, we will be going to the gate for them. Morgana?" Maree looked at Morgana who looked so stern in the face. She closed the book and sighed.

"What are you going to do with that knowledge Morgana?" Maree asked and she sighed again, "To be honest, I am not sure" She said, not even sure of what to feel, or what to say. "I'll read this again, and again, as much as it takes to get some sense of it" She settled herself and starts from the beginning again.

"Feel comfortable to. We will know that you are here" Maree then turned to Lancelot, "Go, I'll leave a tracking spell on her" Lancelot bowed and left, Maree enchanted the book so she will be able to sense it. It doesn't look like she will leave the book anytime soon.

She went outside to wait for Merlin and Arthur to arrive. Soon, Morgana approached her unexpectedly, she looked at her "Coming to greet them too?"

Morgana nodded her head and then there was a moment of silence, "You are my niece are you?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"It is nice to meet you Maree" She said, as if it felt like Morgana, as her aunt was greeting her for the first time in her life. Maree was surprised to be honest, Morgana gave her a glee smile. "When did you start doing magic?" She asked, as if she wanted to get to know her.

"I started learning when I was 16, I was only able to use magic until after I met Arthur a few days after he came back"

"Why so? With that much practise, you would be able to do it easily"

"Magic slowly disappeared after Arthur died"

"What?"

"It's back now, but I am afraid that if Arthur died again magic will disappear again"

Morgana was shocked. "So…if you ever try anything, kill Arthur, magic will disappear, or if you try and harm Merlin, Arthur dies after him"

"What do you mean?"

"Arthur is bound to Merlin, he is immortal, so if Merlin dies, Arthur dies along with him"

"There really is no purpose for me to be here" Morgana whispered to herself. "Why?"

"We all have no idea, so we got to find out why. But while you are here, get along with us some more, it will be good for you all everyone else"

"But I don't know if Merlin cares or hates me"

"Is that what you are worried about?" Maree asked, surprised that she cares even just a little bit. "No, it's just that I don't know how to react around him if I am not sure about what he thinks of me, is he an enemy, or a friend?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, he surely shows me some respect, Arthur too. So I guess I will have to do the same thing. You never know, we might all just get along"

" _So….with that, if Morgana ever found out, she won't do anything right? According to the diary, she has no purpose without magic, with Arthur gone, there is no magic and she wants Arthur dead. So what is the point? Would she still try and get rid of Arthur, and take the throne? No, there is another royal family under him that will take over his place, there is no point. Hm….we still have to think about this, at this point it wouldn't really matter if she doesn't know or if she found out"_

Soon, Merlin and Arthur arrived back, and they were surprised to see Morgana waiting for them with Lancelot and Maree. "Morgana" Arthur let out a laugh, "You waited for us?"

Merlin gave Arthur a look, "You sure about that?"

"Shut up Merlin"

Morgana smiled, "Of course I did. I fully understand that I am under your rule now brother, I have no reason here to be against you"

Arthur wasn't sure that he heard that right, Merlin blushed a little, knowing that she must have read his book. "Did you read that book already?"

"Our eyes were glued to it all day" Maree said. "We forgot to eat lunch"

"Seriously?"

Morgana nodded, "I still need to read it more, as much as necessary"

"Borrow it as long as you like" Merlin said. "Uther borrowed it for a while as well"

Morgana sighed. Merlin turned to Maree and she told him that it was okay, she knew. "Shall we have dinner then?" Arthur asked. "I'm sure that you all must be hungry"

Maree's stomach growled. Merlin laughed but then his stomach grumbled as well. They looked awkwardly at each other. "Like Father, like daughter it seems" Morgana said.

At dinner, Merlin was more comfortable and less nervous.

"How did your day go Father?" Maree asked. "Wonderfully, everyone is so excited. There are people everywhere, once we arrived they were all bowing in silence"

Merlin grinned. "Everything is all set in, people are greeting their King and sorcerer now, asking me to show them magic at every turn"

""You made it snow Merlin, I thought there was something wrong with the weather one second there" Arthur chuckled. "You were showing off, you almost scared the Queen"

"Queen?" Morgana asked. "Yes, the Queen Elizabeth is the standing Queen at the moment. The royal family line continues on after my reign"

"I see, Albion still rules under a King or Queen, why were you going there?"

"To make a friendship, and to reclaim my throne" Arthur said, Morgana wasn't surprised. "Did you make the decision?"

"No, she brought it up when she visited. Upon the prophecies I was to become King, and overcome the battle that may come for us. If there is going to be one, we need help"

"I can see your intentions, and what is this battle?"

"We don't know" Arthur said, "What?" Morgana was surprised, "We don't know. Nothing has come for us, but you are here Morgana and there must be a reason and I have not seen any intention of you being our enemy"

"I am afraid that I am in the same situation Brother" Morgana sighed in agreement. Merlin sucked up some fresh air, "Really?"

"Yes"

" _Don't start to believe her Merlin, we never know when she may backfire on us"_ Arthur said. _"Guys, with what I have seen today and worked out…..there is no certain reason why she would be against you. And your relationship, but even if she does find out, we don't know what she may do with that knowledge"_

" _Even if she did spill information, it would be an extremely serious accusation. No one will believe her, she was a recent enemy like we told the Queen. She is very nervous about her"_

" _What should we do?"_

" _I could always use a spell to make her keep a secret"_

" _No need Merlin. It's unnecessary, we have to stay in our separate Chambers from now on as I have told you, for our sake"_

Merlin sighed sadly. Morgana ignored him, "You alright Merlin?"

"Yes, thank you. I was just talking to Arthur thought our minds, you know, a druid thing" Merlin smiled, "Thanks for asking"

"I see"

" _Don't worry Merlin, separation won't be the end of us"_ Arthur patted his shoulder.

"The Queen advised me to watch over you carefully Morgana, if you take one step to trying anything….."

Morgana paused, "There will be serious consequences" Arthur finished. "You see, even if we have been asleep for centuries, we still have unfinished business. So therefore we cannot always believe what you say, I think you understand that"

"I do, I will watch myself" Morgana said. "Though I may not have any way to take your position, I will respect you as long as you respect me. As soon as I settle I'll land on a conclusion for myself" She then bowed her head, "Send the Queen my respect my lord"

Arthur was relieved with that answer.

After dinner Arthur took Merlin to his chambers. _"Arthur, for one thing. If she ever tries anything she will be coming for me, because if she wants to get rid of you, you can't die without me dying"_

" _I can understand that Merlin, from that point, I am the one who should be protecting you"_

Merlin takes a nervous breath, _"It feels strange to be honest"_

" _What Merlin, don't you trust me?"_

" _Of course I do, it's just that I am usually the one that does the protecting"_

' _Then I am going to make sure that she doesn't touch you"_

Merlin smiled. "Goodnight then, I will see you tomorrow"

"Have some good dreams Merlin"

Merlin then went out of the door, closing Arthur's chambers as it felt like he was his servant again. Saying goodnight and then leaving to go back to Gaius chambers. But he sleeps next door now so that is a little difference expect that he won't be sleeping next to Arthur, this makes him sigh.

So he goes to his own chambers for the first time in a while and all of a sudden there is a new entrance without a door, he approaches it to see Arthur smirking from the other side. He gaped at him, "When was there a door?" He asked.

"I got someone to make it for me this morning in time for tonight" Arthur grinned, "Makes it easier for the both of us if anything happens doesn't it?"

Merlin smiled. "You knew I wouldn't notice didn't know you lil prat"

Arthur laughed, "You are just being you, the Merlin that is always ever so clumsy and doesn't notice the little things around him"

Merlin laughed back at the fact. "True"

Then Arthur raises a finger, "Hold on for a second" And he goes to his bed, and grabs something from underneath. Merlin noticed that it was a belt with a sheath, holding a fine sword in it. Before he could ask why he hid it there Arthur approached Merlin with it and took the sword out of its sheath.

At first sight it shone with a stunning silver, as if it was never used before. It was brand new he figured, along its length it was a bit smaller than the Knights swords and looked incredibly light in his hands. Then the other end caught his eye, there was an 'M', what does that mean?

"Merlin" Arthur rose his voice and Merlin took his attention to him. "Yes?"

"You may kneel"

Merlin gaped once again, this sword is meant for _him_. Merlin took in the moment and knelt down in front of Arthur.

"Merlin, will you obey and follow the laws of Camelot?"

"I will"

"Will you respect the knight's code upon your role?"

He then knew what Arthur was doing, he is being made a _knight._

"I will"

"Arise Sir Merlin, Knight of Camelot" Arthur then uses the sword to touch each of Merlin's shoulders before he stood up again. With a big huge smile, Arthur gives Merlin the belt and the sword.

"Arthur…."

"You deserve it, I should have made you a knight centuries ago"

"You know…..until you are King you can't officially do that" Merlin chuckled, grasping the surprise.

"I know. But until I do, we will have an official one for you" Arthur watches Merlin look at his new sword before putting it back into its sheath and putting the belt on. Unfortunately, Merlin was so skinny, he noticed that he will be needing another hole. He felt Arthurs grin on his face.

"Would you like me to put a hole in your belt Merlin?" Arthur said with a clear bit of laughter in his voice.

"Errrrr…." This was quite embarrassing. "I think I will" Merlin looked up to face Arthurs amused face. Merlin then takes his sword out and gives the belt to Arthur, putting the sword away on his desk near him which gives him a sense of achievement.

After going to bed, Merlin struggled to sleep. Not because of the nightmares, he just couldn't sleep. "Arthur?" Merlin called out.

"What?" Arthur asked, groaning. "I can't sleep…."

"Have you heard of counting sheep?"

"Very funny, I really can't sleep"

There was a moment of silence. "Come in with me then" Arthur said and Merlin got straight out of his own bed and into Arthur's, meeting Arthur's lips before tucking himself in. "Ah, that's better" He sighed happily. Arthur didn't bother, he just wanted his beauty rest and let Merlin get up close as he wanted.

Morgana was trying to grasp the fact that there is really nothing that she can do, thoughts keep rolling through her head and every plan that she can think of seem to fail in her mind. Maybe, this is for the best. Maybe, it is time for a change and see the brighter possible road.

So she decides to start by going to see Merlin and say goodnight to him for a change. To show him some respect and a good start of trust between them. So she quietly walks down to his chambers, and opens the door a bit, hoping that she won't disturb Merlin's sleep- if he has already gone to bed.

"Arthur" She hears. "What?" A familiar voice calls.

" _What is going on? Do they have connected chambers?"_

She kept the door open just a tiny bit to hear what is going on. "I can't sleep"

"Have you heard of counting sheep?"

"Very funny, I really can't sleep"

Then there was a moment of silence until she heard, "Come in with me then"

She froze, instantly she shut the door quietly and went left to the other door to Arthur's chambers. Opening it just a little, she saw Merlin jump in bed and _kiss_ Arthur. "Ah, that's better"

She couldn't believe her eyes. Considering that Merlin is even getting up close to his own master and Arthur doesn't mind at all, he doesn't hate it or anything, he does the _opposite_. He smiles and kisses Merlin back before going to sleep, getting comfortable in each other's arms.

If there was not a plan before, she may have to scratch that thought.

They are somehow- maybe….in a _relationship_. –But how is that even possible? There is just now way-

The first thing she thought of was to go to Maree's chambers immediately and demand an explanation- if she knows about it. She went into her chambers with a very disturbing creak of the door and came in, she didn't need to wake her up, she was already awake probably due to the doors loud creaking.

"Maree" She took a breath, "Something is wrong"

Maree got up from her bed, her hair down and all, she became curious about what she is talking about. "What's wrong?"

Morgana took a moment to gather her thoughts on how she is going to reveal what she just saw, Maree might not know anything so she has to calmly explain what she saw. "I saw Merlin and Arthur earlier…..sleeping. Together" She explained simply.

"Yeah, I know, Merlin has nightmares sometimes, Arthur sleeps with him to calm him at night so he can sleep easier" Maree didn't look surprised.

"Oh" That explained one thing, "I understand that, but they kissed each other too, I am so confused" Morgana couldn't get what just happened.

"Oh gods above" Maree groaned in frustration, "You did not just see that did you?"

Morgana was even more confused now, "I did"

She sighed again, "Merlin and Arthur didn't want you to find out because they were concerned about what you would do with that knowledge" She told her honestly.

Morgana sighed deeply, "I see, I understand. So does anyone else beside you know about this?"

"Lancelot, Gaius, Gwenivere…..Uther"

"And they have approved of this? Is there no law against it today?"

"They have, and there is no law that goes against it"

Morgana sighed. She sat down on the bed and starting to think it through, Maree gave her some time. "Ok" She finally said after ten minutes passed, literally. Morgana must have thought hard about this. "If that is so then I have no obligation to against that"

"Really?"

"Yes, I shall apologise for eavesdropping tomorrow morning. I can understand that they wouldn't want me to get shocked, and they certainly don't want the whole of Camelot to know. That would be quite an embarrassing position"

" _They don't trust me…..but even if I still spilled anything, it wouldn't do any good to give me what I want. Hold on, I have magic after all, what did Uther do?"_

"I'm surprised that you do Morgana, we can go see them together. And it's a free day so why not go out for lunch, the forest is safe now so maybe we can go for a ride" Maree suggested.

"That would be wonderful Maree"

" _Uther would execute sorcerers to break their spell… so if I kill Merlin which will end Arthur's life, I will get my magic back and I can take control of the Kingdom with my magic"_ She thought dangerously. _"I can cloak myself as Arthur and take my rightful place upon the throne"_

Maree had a bad feeling, she was cold yet again and Morgana had a sense of accomplishment in her face. _"This can't be good"_

" _But I will have to get my hands on that Excalibur, and I cannot kill Merlin so easily if he is sleeping on his side. And I won't be warm anymore at this point, Merlin and Maree will surely know tomorrow"_

"I apologise for waking you"

"No worries, I will be here to listen to your worries anytime"

"Then I must let you rest, I need some sleep too" Morgana got up, "Goodnight Maree"

"Goodnight Morgana"

And she left, feeling colder than ever before. Maree knew that there was something terribly wrong. So she dressed up and followed her with a camouflaging spell.

" _I must act now if I want to get what is truly mine"_ Morgana sneered to herself. She went back to her own chambers to take off her shoes, they clatter when she walks around, so she wouldn't want to get found out when she stepped in. She went out again and opened the door to Arthur's chambers, creeping in she found Excalibur and lifted it out of its resting place. It gave her a tingling sense, the weapon had magic, it did not like her at all but she gripped it in her hand and approached the bed. Merlin could sense Morgana's cold aura and shivered, pulling the blankets over him and rolling over to lay on his back. Arthur quivered too but went closer to Merlin and mumbled a bit.

" _Finally, I will get what is truly mine"_

She raised the sword…..

And she was suddenly stopped. She turned her head and saw Maree with furious gold eyes, her arm stretched out fully dressed. "Morgana" She breathed. "You may not kill my Father"

Her eyes shone again and Arthur instantly woke up, his warrior instincts kicked in and threw himself at Morgana, grabbing her neck and pining her to the rock wall. The vibrations of the bed shook Merlin awake, and candles went alight. Merlin couldn't believe his eyes.

"Morgana" Arthur seethed, with one hand he took Excalibur from her hands, the other on Morgana's neck. Merlin looked to his left to see Maree, relieved that she was there. But there was a deja vu, Morgana has tried to kill the King once before.

"Morgana, what did you expect to accomplish here?"

"She was trying to kill Merlin" Maree explained. "With Excalibur"

Arthur turned his head from Maree back to Morgana, "You had a choice, now you have made it. And it was a very wrong decision to make"

Morgana couldn't breathe with the grip that Arthur had on her. At the time security sprang straight in the room, "Sire!" They called. And at that second, Arthur let go of Morgana and let the guards take her. "We saw what happened on the security cameras sire" They said. "All of it"

"All of it?" Maree asked, the guards nodded. "Good, then we have evidence about what happened. We can send them to the Queen for her sentence tomorrow" Maree concluded before looking at her Father, "Father, what did the Queen say?"

"Upon our conservation about Morgana and the upcoming battle in the prophecies….if she is to try any move on trying to kill either myself or Merlin, the punishment is death by first thing in the morning. She is too dangerous and is a threat to this kingdom and everyone else, I cannot risk my people's lives"

Merlin nodded, he sighed in disappointment. For a while there, he thought that she would change. Maybe not. "Take her away then" He said and the guards took her away without a sound, Morgana send them glares as she was dragged out of their sights.

"Thank you so much Maree" Merlin said, "You did something before anything could be done. I did the same once"

Arthur eyed Maree, "Thank you. You saved Merlin's and my life"

Maree smiled, "I had to do something, I couldn't let my own blood be killed couldn't I?"

"Course not"

Merlin sighed again, "Morgana will be executed under Excalibur will she?"

"Yes. She will, I'm sorry Merlin"

"No, don't be. I braced myself for anything that may happen, Morgana chose her fate, besides, I feel a little happy on the side, without Morgana or Mordred…there is no battle, we will be peaceful again" Merlin said, looking into Arthurs eyes. "It almost feels….a bit too easy for some reason, there must be something more to it"

"Merlin, whatever it may be, anything that may come in our way…we will face it, and we will win" Arthur assured him.

"Yeah, we all will. With Lancelot, and Maree" Merlin gets up from bed and gives Arthur and Maree a group hug. "We're all family here, father, Daughter, Papa I suppose...and our bravest Knight Lancelot, we can stand against anything"

Merlin gave them both bright smiles.

The next morning Maree was in a rush to go and see Merlin and Arthur, she has had another vision. The key, the answer, Kilgharrah has it, and…it's good but….there is something else. "Arthur!" She called out, reaching the great hall, Morgana was held inside with guards holding her down, the Queen, Lancelot, Arthur and Merlin, and everyone was all there.

"Kilgharrah has the key! The prophecy lies upon Morgana's execution!" She said.

Arthur put a hand up to quieten everyone. "What is it? Speak"

She took a breath, "Arthur made a pact centuries ago with the elders"

Merlin took a breath, "That day…Remember when you rejected magic?"

"You said to reject it as well, you told me what you thought"

"That rejection created a circle. Let me explain, the circle created the war of Camlan. In the end Mordred was killed by Arthur, Morgana was killed by Merlin. Now the circle starts again centuries later"

"How do we break the circle?" Arthur asked.

"Mordred is dismissed under the hands of the Lady of the Lake, aka, my Mother, I am your blood Arthur, and therefore that ends Mordred's life under your own hands and blood. So next, Morgana must be executed under Merlins hands to end to circle and finish the prophecy" She caught her breath when she finished.

Merlin and Arthur looked at each other in surprise, "That's what we have to do Maree?"

Merlin took in a breath, "I'll do it. For the good of the Kingdom, for the people"

"That is not it Merlin" Maree shook her head. "There is more"

She gulped, "When she is dead, I will die too. Because I am your guide and when the prophecy is finished I won't be needed"

Merlin went pale. "You can't be serious"

"Listen to me Pa, my death will free the magic's of Avalon and everyone else. Gaius, the Knights, everyone will be released and magic will be free to use for everyone. It will be free"

"No" Merlin gasped, "No…..you're my one and only daughter Maree"

"Merlin" She said. "We will meet again warlock"

Merlin smiled. "Really? We will?"

She nodded. "We will see each other again, I can be sure of that"

Arthur sighed deeply, "Are you sure Merlin? You have gone through a lot already" He asked, concerned for his brother.

Merlin still smiled, "Arthur, even if you died again, I'd wait a million years for you to come back. It will say the same for our daughter, if she will come back, then I will wait"

Arthur assured himself that it'll be alright, if Merlin says so. "Maree, come here" he said and she approached her Father for the last time, Arthur gave her a hug, Merlin joined in the hug and within upon the moment they shed tears. "Goodbye Merlin, Arthur, my good Fathers. I will see you again" Maree said, sniffling.

Their hugs became tighter. "Thank you" Arthur said.

Merlin had to push through, again for someone he loves. So he took Excalibur out of Arthur's sheath and approached Morgana. Arthur's hands were on Maree's shoulders as they watched.

Morgana had no doubts, she had tried, if she didn't, she wouldn't fulfil the purpose she came back for. So she closed her eyes and accepted her fate.

Maree's eyes then slowly closed and her soul left her. The circle was broken. There was some relief upon everyone but then there were tears for the uncrowned princess Maree. Arthur caught her before she could hit the ground and laid her down carefully in his lap, softly stroking her cheeks.

"Maree…." Merlin turned back as the guards took away Morgana's body, tears shed upon his face yet again. He went straight to his daughter's side to hug her dead body, putting her hand on her sword that she kept and fought with her heart and soul.

Then with Maree's last breath she put her hand on Merlin's stomach and mumbled a spell so quietly it was barely audible. Merlin cringed at this, and then he felt awfully odd.

"Maree…" he gasped, as his body felt like it took on a toll of sensation. "What did she do?"

"She's inside me Arthur, her body only died. Her spirit was put inside me…."

"Is that even possible?" Arthur asked, wide eyed. I think….it is. Hold on, the only spell I can think of is from the book she read when she accidentally became a baby"

"Is it possible that she might have been looking for a spell that might actually save her soul?"

Merlin nodded. "We can only find out when we meet her again"

"We are yet to find out Merlin"

Merlin was happy, not sad, he was glad. No more tears were shed, for the rest of the day they celebrated Maree's life, her clothes and belongings were kept along with her sword, and necklace that Merlin gave her. "She thought of you Merlin" Arthur said as Merlin looked at her belongings.

"She did" Merlin smiled as he looked through her collection of books.

Lancelot smiled in the distance. "Her loss was a loss that had to be done"

"Yes" Merlin looked at Lancelot and back at Arthur. "Let's celebrate, you are going to be King after all, it is such a shame that Maree won't be witnessing that"

"It is. Come on Merlin"

"I'll be right after you Arthur"


	35. Chapter 35 - The Round Table - END

Maree was the key to open and break the circle, but her key had only one use, so her body gave way and died. However her soul was transferred to Merlin in a way. After going back at the book, Merlin was surprised with the information. Merlin could be _pregnant._ When he broke the news to Arthur the new King was utterly speechless, it had him pacing for an entire afternoon.

Shortly after all of the celebrations and being crowned King, and of course, Kingmaker, Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot would ride to the Lake of Avalon to see if they could find anyone.

"Anytime Merlin, we won't know when they may appear" Arthur told Merlin. "Yeah, we will have to teach them everything about the modern world. We don't have Maree with us to do that job anymore" Merlin said. He took his breath as he glanced at the lake, and then his hand went down to rub his stomach, he doesn't feel anything but he hopes that there will be something soon.

Arthur noticed, "We don't know if it is true yet Merlin, but if it is, we will be there to support you"

"To be honest, I don't know how to tell the whole Kingdom if I happen to be pregnant" Merlin chuckled. "The Queen is happy, she already knows. But for millions of people…..I've seen people paint royal members faces on plate collectables and things, it's kinda embarrassing" He blushed.

"It feels like an honour to be on a plate collectable, at least it doesn't get eaten off" Arthur smirked. "But what about Gwen?" Merlin asked. Arthur gave him a bit of a glare, "Don't worry about Gwen, we will decide until we hear what she wants"

"Okay" Merlin took in a breath.

"You alright Merlin?" Lancelot asked. "Yes, just a little nervous about who we will find. It will be wonderful to see them all again"

"We just had had a bizarre amount of flowers given to you from all of the people to give their love and prayers for our loss of Maree. I am just wondering if you are okay, it gave you quite a surprise"

"I just feel loved, do you feel like that sometimes Arthur?" Merlin asked.

"After all of those celebrations, I feel like I do" Arthur smiled. "But I always feel loved"

"Really? From what?" Merlin asked.

Arthur looked at Merlin in surprise, "Merlin!"

"What?!"

Arthur gestured to Merlin, "Oh!" Merlin figured it out, "How stupid of me" Arthur whacked his head, "Ow!"

"It's obvious Merlin! You are so dumb sometimes"

Merlin smiled at Arthur as they rested on their horses, thankfully there were no guards around them, Arthur had Merlin to guard them for the night. Besides, they didn't want to scare their friends with unwanted attention when they come out. However, no one came out and it was getting dark.

"Urgh…." Merlin groaned.

"Is your little bottom sore again?" Arthur asked, "Come on, let's set up a tent, it's getting dark"

Merlin looked at Arthur in surprise, "Here? Out in the open?"

"No silly, let's go into the forest, it's better there" Arthur directed his horse away from the lake, "Good idea Arthur" Lancelot liked the sound of it. Merlin and Lancelot followed after Arthur, heading into the forest but not far from the Lake, just away from the public eye. And they set up a tent, Merlin had to teach them how to make the modern tent and Lancelot was surprisingly good at it, it was a huge tent but it was useful to have Merlin to use his magic to put the covers over the roof of the tent. Then they made a fire to get warm.

"Get the barbeque Merlin" Arthur said. Merlin gave him a look, "Barbeque? Since when did you know about those?"

"Lancelot showed me one"

Merlin then looked at Lancelot who knew what Merlin is asking him without even speaking, "Maree showed me what it was" Lancelot explained, "I showed it to Arthur as it may be handy for cooking dinner". Lancelot gets some meat and fish out of his bag, "Want some?"

"You seem to be so organised Arthur" Merlin said as his heart dropped at the sound of Maree's name. He got the biggest bag among the tent bag and pulled out the barbeque. Arthur sniggered, "Surprised?"

"Yes, it's a start" Merlin chuckled as he set up the barbeque and then he noticed a load of beer stuffed in the bag as well. "Arthur?" Merlin called out and Arthur raised his head, "Yes?"

"Is this for Gwaine?" Merlin laughed, showing him the beer. "Yes, thought that he would be aching for some when he gets out"

"That's very nice and typical of you" Merlin chuckled as he put the beer back in the bag, and Lancelot decided to start cooking the meat and fish on the barbeque, as it got darker they had stars above them glittering as they at their meals right off the hot surface with a fork and they helped themselves.

"This is really nice Arthur, we could do this for ages" Merlin commented, sitting down as he ate his fish. "It feels like old times doesn't it?" Arthur said. "Yup" Lancelot agreed, "Maybe we can do this on the weekends for fun"

"Go hunting for once" Arthur added, Merlin elbowed him. "There are some places where you cannot hunt Arthur, there are no wild bears or winged tigers anymore"

"Wolves?"

"They have evolved into weak playful little dogs"

"What are dogs?"

"I'll show you later, there are big birds and deer's that you can try"

"Well, that is fair enough" Arthur went along with it, "Will you join me? That magic of yours will be very useful"

"I will join you but use your own magic, I don't want to use mine for evil killing purposes!" Merlin disagreed, rolling his eyes at Arthur. "You're calling me evil?" Arthur responded to Merlin as he rolled his eyes. "In a sense, the animals would definitely agree"

Arthur rolled his eyes back at him but then he stopped mid-way when he noticed the neckerchief that Merlin was wearing. "Merlin…" He spoke, then he looked at the colour of the neckerchief for a moment before he realised something, "Isn't that Maree's neckerchief?"

Merlin looked down at it and smiled sadly, "Yes, It fits rather nice. It makes me feel closer to her"

This made Arthur sigh, "Merlin, I am glad that you no longer feel guilty about my death but now you're sobbing over Maree now?"

"I do miss her, don't you?"

Lancelot gave Arthur a look, "Go ahead, I'll clean up" And Arthur thanked him before going to sit next to Merlin. "What does the magic book say about what Maree did?"

"She did a powerful spell that transferred her own soul into my stomach, or you would say female organs that allow me to give birth. So she is still alive, but asleep. So she is there as long as I live unless if I make the choice in bringing her back to life" Merlin explained.

Arthur then looked up at the sky from Merlin, "Alright, so what does her death mean to you?"

"Freya created her so she can be a helping hand, and a sacrifice till the end. It was her destiny, and she fulfilled it, even though she was to die" he said, then there was a pause, "It makes me think about you"

Arthur turned his head back to Merlin, "Me?"

"Yes, when you died I fulfilled my prophecy, my destiny, but I felt so much guilt in feeling that I failed to save you. But it wasn't all for nothing, I can see that now. The memories that we shared together…we Kingdom we built, if I wasn't there, there wouldn't be a peaceful Camelot today. So, after all of my efforts, I made the decision to wait for you to come back, to fight again with you to fulfil another destiny, and we won didn't we?"

"Yes, yes we did Merlin"

"But it wasn't you or I that died, it was Maree. Our daughter…." Merlin felt himself sniff, "She was able to make this possible, we are here today because of her, she was our guide, our helper. Because of that she reminds me of us, and of myself" Merlin felt a tear run down his eye. Arthur then rubs Merlin's back in circles to calm him a bit.

"This doesn't involve the lake anymore, there is no waiting. There is now a decision"

Arthur nodded, "The decision is to bring her back, or to never see her again"

Merlin smiled, "This is quite an odd position isn't it Arthur?". Arthur chucked, "Yes, very different to before"

"Arthur…her soul won't start growing again until I receive you. You know how it works"

Arthur laughed, looking scandalised, " _Merlin_ " Merlin laughed back and then looked down at his stomach. "She knows that she will see us again, and she deserves a second life with her real parents. She deserves to be free, and we all do"

"Away from prophecies"

"And that damned lake"

"Away from evil witches"

"And bandits'

"Away from anyone that tries to kill us"

"And the stocks"

Arthur's laugher roared through the forest, "The _stocks_ Merlin!" Lancelot grinned at the both of them. Then Merlin had an idea, which Arthur could feel in his eyes. "What is it?"

Merlin got up, "Come with me, I would like to show you something Arthur" Merlin grabbed a large blanket, grabbed Arthurs arm and started dragging him into the forest.

"Wait- where are we going?"

"You'll see" Merlin had a bright smile on his face as he ran, taking Arthur with him. Then after what felt like an hour Merlin stopped to Arthur's relief and then slowly took him down below in a hole.

"I don't like the sound of this Merlin, where are you taking-"

As they stopped in the end of the hole, it emerged to a great big entrance to a cave surrounded by clear white crystals, Arthur halted because he could feel the magic pouring out of the place.

"What is this place…..?" He asked. His eyes were full of surprise and amazement, "Whoa"

"This is the Crystal Cave, the birthplace of magic" Merlin explained, "The heart of the old religion"

Arthur felt his body go numb as he became full of amazement, "Merlin…..this place is beautiful…" He closed his eyes to feel the magic, "I can feel…..the magic…."

As his eyes were closed he then felt Merlin's fingers intertwine with his, closing into an embrace. For a while they felt the magic going in and out of themselves before they opened their eyes to catch their breath. Then Merlin reached his hand out and touched one of the crystals.

" _Father?!"_ They heard Maree's voice. In surprise Arthur lifted Merlin's shirt to see his lower stomach glowing. "Maree?" He whispered. "Maree!" Merlin called out, letting out a sob. _"Papa…"_ They heard Maree's voice once again, _"You are both alright, thank goodness"_

Arthur smiled, "Merlin….this is amazing, this is wonderful.." They both smiled at each other, "We can hear our little girl like this"

"If we set her to life, once her heart starts beating she will be able to communicate to us through our minds" Merlin said. Arthur let out a relieved laugh, "You are a wonder" His eyes started filling up with tears.

"Oh dear, here come the happy waterworks" Merlin chuckled. "Shut up Merlin" Arthur wiped his eyes. _"Are you alright Father?"_ She asked. "Yes, I am more than okay. I am relieved that my daughter is alright. This….place is utterly beautiful"

"I come here sometimes when I feel alone, or to sleep for a couple of centuries. I usually meet my Father here"

"Balinor?"

"Yes" Merlin nodded, wiping Arthurs tears, "You finished?"

"Yes" Arthur got out a handkerchief from his pocket to blow his nose before he met a smug smile across Merlin's face. "Does this look amusing to you?"

"No, I think it's cute" He observed Arthurs face, "Come here.." He gives him a hug, thus letting go of his hand off the crystals. "We should go back, Lancelot will be getting worried"

"You ran off without a thought Merlin" Arthur agreed, letting go of him, "We should, and we should show him this place sometime" He said, taking a glimpse at the crystals again before they left.

They apologised to Lancelot when they made it back, and it was completely dark too so they grabbed their new sleeping bags and went into the tent to sleep. Lancelot was glad that there were two sections in the tent because he didn't want to bother the two or stumble upon anything. Merlin and Arthur respected him and slept together in two separate sleeping beds in the biggest section that Merlin bought the tent especially for the King.

"Goodnight Arthur, my King" Merlin smiled up to Arthurs face. "Goodnight Merlin, fellow Kingmaker" Arthur smiled back, "Hopefully we will find someone tomorrow"

Merlin then unzipped his own sleeping bag, and then undid Arthurs, before Arthur could say anything Merlin grabbed a second zip below the first of his sleeping bag and zipped it on Arthurs along with the top layer, making a double bed.

"Wow, this is interesting Merlin. And they are a lot more comfortable too"

"I agree, inventions have been making our lives easier" Merlin shuffles up close to Arthur. "And warmer too" Arthur added, which made Merlin laugh. "Don't think I'm your personal heater"

"No, you're not Merlin. You're…..my partner"

"Partner sounds right, I thought you were going to say Lover"

"You're that too" Arthur lifts his hands to hold Merlin just above the shoulder blades before going up further to rub Merlin's stomach, "And soon to be a Mother" He smiled proudly at Merlin, "Out of all the things you have done along with saving my life, being a Mother is another thing"

Merlin's eyes fluttered, "Arthur…" His heart sweltered, "You want to have this child with me? What about Gwen?"

Arthur sighed heavily, " _Merlin_ , she wants us to be happy. Let us spend our lives to the best we can now"

"That's not what I meant….." Merlin sighed, "Gwen may be coming out of that lake, and I don't want to make her life miserable by taking you out of her life"

"She didn't say that the last time we talked privately"

Merlins eyes widened, "She said that? Are you sure? Are you really sure Arthur?"

"Merlin, she approved of us. Of course I am sure, are you really not into loving me that much?"

Merlin chuckled, "Arthur I _love_ you" He said, sending tears down his cheeks. Grabbing Arthurs hand and pressing kisses against it. "Stay with me" And Arthur draws Merlin into a hug, "Don't start crying Merlin, you'll upset the child" He said, stroking his hair.

"She's not even hatched yet"

"Will she be able to remember everything when she is born?"

"Hmm hmm" Merlin nodded. "Then we will have to wake her up will we then?" Arthur presses a kiss against Merlin's lips. "Now?! But Lancelot is literally sleeping a couple of feet away from us"

"It won't stop a man like you now wouldn't it?" Arthur smiled at Merlin, "Nope" Then his eyes glow gold as the tent blocks out sound and then suddenly they don't seem to be inside the tent anymore, but outside near the lake on a comfortable bed of grass.

'Where-"Arthur was startled by this effect. "It's okay, it's just an illusion" Merlin explained. "No one will be able to find us here". As Arthurs eyes were out wide with awe, Merlin pressed a kiss against Arthur's lips who then turned to see Merlin with a hint of gold in his eyes looking right up at him. Arthur took a moment to take the view of him in and gaze at his love in laying beneath him, putting his arms around his neck and caressing everything Arthur is. "You are beautiful Merlin" Arthur took in a breath.

Minutes later they were putting their whole hearts into each other, which was a particularly pleasurable act. But it was hot and humid amongst their skin and sweat stuck together. Merlin had his head thrown back every time Arthur moved, and the air was filled with their sighs and moans.

"Merlin" Arthur huffed, "Are you alright?" He felt Merlin writhe below him uncomfortably, Merlin left out a huff. "No, I am a lot better than alright" he smiled. For a moment Arthur smiled as well and he could feel what was going on, "What do you feel Merlin?" Merlin smiled wider, "She's alive"

Arthur's smile grew wider as Merlin smiled, his hands lifted to caress Arthur's messy golden hair and Arthur kisses him with emotion. Their smiles touching each other's lips, "Want to stop?" Arthur asked.

"Heck no, we don't get to do any of this for another nine months" Merlin disapproved, "Let's make the most of this moment"

Arthur smirked, "Are you commanding your King?"

"What does it look like?" Merlin smirked back, "Please?"

"Since you asked so nicely…" Arthur takes over Merlin's lips and eventually his mouth, the whole thing became a hot passionate kiss, only letting go when they need to catch their breath. Merlin leaved and took in a huge gulp of air. "I guess that means yes then"

Arthur then bent down to press his lips against Merlin's neck, and then softly bites down.

"Arthur- what are you doing?" Merlin felt teeth upon his soft pale skin, biting down. "I am marking you, idiot. It's proof that you're _mine_ "

Merlin blushed, "Won't people see it?"

"Course not, you have that neckerchief of yours to cover it up?" Arthur lifted his head and Merlin put a hand over it to feel the mark he left. "What about you then?" Merlin asked.

"Huh? What do you-" Merlin pressed his teeth against Arthur's neck before he could finish and he winced at the small feeling of pain touching his skin. " _Merlin_ " He growled. "Now you belong to me too" Merlin smiled, "To be honest, I don't really care if anyone sees it at any point"

Arthur chuckles, "I doubt Gwen will be very impressed" Merlin laughed back, "I think she will find it amusing"

"Merlin!" Arthur gives Merlin a small hit in the head. "Now, let's stop bantering as usual, it's very strange to do this at a certain time in the middle of a certain something" Merlin said. Then Arthur looked down between them, "You're right"

What felt like an hour later, Arthur let Merlin sleep and uses the rest of his time stroking Merlin's hair and observing his sleeping face before going to sleep.

The net morning Lancelot was the first to wake up, after getting dressed in his own area, he got out the tent to take in some fresh morning air. He felt it really comfortable to wear modern clothes but it was nice to wear his Camelot belt and bring his sword along with him, it's like that he was embracing the new traditions but also the old. Not ever forgetting the past but bringing it with him.

He sighed happily, as if the future is going to be bright. He didn't mind if he was either mortal or immortal but he was happy to observe the world instead of sleeping in a lake for what felt like eternity.

"Lancelot?" He then heard a familiar voice. He shot up immediately to the voice and looked around to then finally seeing a familiar face. It was no more than Gwaine.

"Gwaine!" He gasped, "Old friend!" He went right up to the completely dry man. "Did you get out of the lake?"

"Yes, I came out dry. Good to see you friend!" They gave each other a hug, "Though I am a tad confused, what is that?" Gwaine pointed at the tent.

"It's called a tent. Gwaine, you have been dead for a very long time and it will take a while to explain the changes but I think you will like it"

"How long has it been?" Gwaine's face went white. "One hundred and fifty thousand years" Lancelot said. "Is there still any ale left?" Gwaine asked, afraid if they don't exist anymore.

"No. But Arthur did get you something" Lancelot gestured to the bag next to the tent and pulled out a can of beer. "This is….?"

"It's called tin Gwaine" He then opens up the can, "See? You open it like this….and you can drink out of it" He gives it to him, "Give it a try"

Gwaine takes a cautious sip from the new object and then becomes friendly with it instantly the second he tasted the beer. "This is ale…?" His face popped up with a sense of relief and happiness.

"It's called beer now Gwaine, only stronger" Lancelot smirked. "There are many more types that are lighter and stronger even"

Gwaine smiled, "I like this present day" He takes a big gulp of it, "Was Arthur's idea"

"Hold on" Gwaine halted. "Did Arthur win the battle of Camlan? Is he alright?"

"You don't know?"

"I died before the war even finished"

"He did win, Morgana was killed and Arthur…he was wounded and Merlin tried to save him, but failed"

"Dear gods, is Merlin alright?"

"It's been centuries, Arthur has been back for some time now. Merlin never died"

"What? What do you mean he never died?"

Lancelot braced himself, "Gwaine….Merlin was born with magic"

Gwaine dropped his beer in shock, "Merlin? Arthurs manservant Merlin?!"

Lancelot nodded, "He never had a choice on whether to wield it to not. But he used it to save Arthurs life many times and to protect Camelot, and he still is"

"I knew there was something about him…." Gwaine was bewildered, "What about the laws on magic today?"

"There are very little magic users, most people think it's a myth. Merlin is the only one that processes magic now, other than that, it is no longer illegal"

"Thank goodness for that. Merlin has always been Merlin to me. But that makes sense of all of those clumsy bandits and falling tree branches that we have encountered on our quests all the time" He picked up his beer and took another sip, "This tastes really good. So, Arthur is back. Where is he?"

"Sleeping, inside the tent" Lancelot went over to the door opening on Merlin and Arthur's side and pulled the zip to open it up, revealing Merlin and Arthur in deep sleep. Gwaine chuckled, "So is Merlin immortal? He can't die?"

"No, because he is Emrys. He was destined to create Camelot with Arthur since the day they met, among the druid prophecies though"

"I understand"

The sun hit Merlin's face and he nudged, "Arthur…..rise and shine you prat. Did you open the door?"

"Wansnt me…." Arthur mumbled back when he noticed Merlin's discomfort. Gwaine laughed, loud enough for Merlin to wake and realise who was there. He opened his eyes and noticed him, "Gwaine!" He gasped in surprise, he wanted to sit up and hug him right away but then he was interrupted by a hint of pain. "Urrrgh…"

"You alright mate? Did Arthur train you too hard?"

Merlin's face scrunched up at that response, "Errrr…kind of". Lancelot looked away nervously but was not long until Gwaine noticed the love mark on Merlin's neck.

"Merlin! Looks like you have a passionate one!" Gwaine teased him but Merlin blushed, "Who is the lucky girl?"

Arthur then got up and saw Gwaine, "Gwaine! I see that you found the beer, it is wonderful to see you again"

"Lancelot explained to me what has happened. Looks like Merlin has a passionate girlfriend as well!" Gwaine then eyed Merlin, "Tell us all about it!"

Arthur and Merlin then looked at each other, exchanging glances. "We will tell you eventually"

"What do you mean 'we'?" Gwaine asked. "You'll see. Gwenivere knows"

"If this is about Merlin's magic.."

"You told him?" Merlin asked Lancelot. "Yes, he took it in rather well to be honest"

"I am cool with it Merlin. Now tell me, what is it?" Gwaine was now very curious. "Alrighty" Arthur then showed his own mark, Gwaine then got really spooked. "Um…."

"You don't get it?"

Merlin took Gwaines hand and put it in their sweaty and heated sleeping bag, "It's quite hot in there…." Lancelot gasped, "You two did not do the deed while I was sleeping did you?!"

"What deed?" Gwaine was totally confused now. And then his eyes widened, and he took his hand right out, "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING?! WHAT ABOUT GWEN?!" He yelped.

"Clam down! This is my second life, and in this life, I love Merlin" Arthur shushed. Merlin's ears went red. "Sorry Lancelot" And Lancelot let out a puff, "At least you two were quiet"

"Are you alright Merlin? You sore again?" Merlin nodded, "We are probably going to need Gaius at a time like this"

"Ask and I arrive" A familiar voice responded and they turned their heads to an old man, Gaius. "Gaius!" Merlin yelped, he wanted to get up and hug his uncle but then he was met with another round of pain. The old man chuckled, "What did you do now Merlin?"

"We went a bit further…" Merlin groaned. "A little?" Gaius came over and kneeled down next to him to take a look at his back. "You'll be alright my boy" He then looks around, "Where is your daughter Maree?"

Gwaine gulped, but his face went white when Merlin gestured to his stomach. "She died so you could all come out of the lake. But she used a spell so I could carry her soul, she can be brought back if I bring her back"

Gaius was surprised, "…..You're pregnant?"

"We don't know yet. But I hope I am" Merlin smiled, "She gave her life, I want to repay her by giving birth to her body. She was born by magic upon the lake and lived a life without her own flesh and blood, you guys get a second chance, she deserves one too"

"What about Morgana? And Mordred?" Gwaine asked. "They are gone, we dealt with them" Arthur said, "Camelot has risen, all we have is a bright future of us"

Both Gaius and Gwaine smiled, "Thank goodness, it's all over then?" Gwaine asked.

"Yes, it is"

"Well done my boy" Gaius praised Merlin, "No, we couldn't have done it without Maree" Merlin said.

"Well then, baby steps Merlin. Let's start with you, I'll get something first" Gaius got up and moved into the forest, "Alright!"

Then their attention went back at Gwaine, "You have a story to tell us all" Gwaine huffed. "And an explanation"

Arthur and Merlin both nodded, "We are expecting everyone else to come out of the lake as well, Leon, Elyan, Percival and Gwen" Gwaine's face brightened, "Everyone?!"

"Yes, Percival will be overjoyed to see you again. Besides, you died in his arms"

"Oh" Gwaine frowned, "That's right"

"We better get ready for the day then" Arthur said, grabbing his clothes and throwing Merlin's underwear at his face. Spluttering, Merlin did the same. "Prat"

Gwaine smiled, relieved that they still have that friendly banter among each other before seating himself next to Lancelot who is making breakfast. "You look good" Gwaine commented his clothes.

After Merlin and Arthur got dressed, Gaius soon came back with some large leaves. "Come with me you two"

Arthur and Merlin looked at each other, nodding. "Let's do this Merlin" Arthur said. And they proceeded as Gaius took them into the forest for a private spot. "Alright, Merlin, I need you to urinate on one of those leaves. Can you do it yourself?"

"Yes. Thankyou" Merlin takes a leaf and goes behind a large tree. Soon there was a large yelp, "Gaius! Err…..my male organs are gone!" He shouted.

Gaius raised an eyebrow, "Could it have been magic?" He called back. "Maybe….I have female organs. I'll have to squat instead"

Arthur raised an eyebrow at Gaius, "Suppose that his magic has prepared his body for pregnancy?" He asked. "I think so, but we need proof from the leaf to confirm that"

Arthur held his breath, "Merlin might be pregnant!"

Minutes later Gaius held a leaf in his hand, carefully observing it. Arthur and Merlin leant against the tree holding hands waiting for any news. Their fingers touched each other's palms, caressing to ease down the tense atmosphere. Eventually Gaius smiled and turned to the two.

"Gaius?" Arthur asked, grasping Merlin's hand to brace himself.

"Congratulations"

With that Merlin gasped and they both cheered in happiness. Both of their hearts brightened as they hugged and kissed each other. "Were pregnant Arthur!" Merlin laughed.

"We must mark this occasion, what day is it?" Arthur asked. Then Merlin looked at his watch, "Arthur?" He stopped silent, "Is today the 30th of March?"

Arthur then checked his own watch, "Yes, it is,…hold on" They both realised, "That's Maree's birthday isn't it?"

"Then in nine months…..she may be born in December, so that means…."

"December 25th…..the day I pulled Excalibur out of the stone and saved Camelot with everyone" Arthur gasped. "Is that a coincidence?"

'Coincidence or not, it's a crazy miracle, she's coming back!" Merlin chuckled. They pulled each other into another hug. "We have to tell everyone once we all settle into Camelot" Arthur said, a bright smile imprinted on his face.

"We shall"

Gaius smiled brightly at the two of them celebrating.

Soon, Gwen had come out of the lake. "Gwen!" Merlin cheered as the familiar brown skinned woman smiled when she saw Merlin's face. Merlin hugged his friend, "It's been a while!"

"You look so happy Merlin, I am happy for you~" She hugged him back, and then suddenly Arthur came out, "Gwen!" He ran out into the lake, therefore getting himself wet but Gwen was dry. He joined the hug, before Merlin could loudly reveal, "Guess what?!" He said.

"What?" Gwen asked, looking at Merlin. "Merlin…." Arthur warned him, giving a _don't you dare_ glare. "I'm pregnant!" Merlin blabbered _out loud._ "Merlin!" Arthur wanted to argue but there was no helping it, Gwen let out a surprised gasp. "Merlin! Oh my goodness! Congratulations!" She cupped his cheeks and gave him a hug, making Merlin chuckle.

Percival, Elyan and Leon came out an hour later, Gwaine had a lovely reunion with his good friend. Poor Percival was almost stricken to tears. At the end of the day, Merlin and Arthur had a lot to explain, the more they talked, the more the talk was turned into a story starting from how Maree found Arthur and tried to find Merlin. About Morgana, Maree's existence, Mordred, who will never be coming back and finally Merlin's relationship with Arthur. And then finally revealing Merlin's pregnancy in order to bring Maree back, the group of friends sat next to Merlin and whispered a "thankyou" to his stomach, hoping that she may be able to hear them.

Lancelot, Merlin, Percival, Gwaine and Arthur had a lovely evening fishing by the lake to catch some dinner before enjoying another barbeque, though Merlin had to explain what the machinery was first to everyone. But thus, even if it was late, they enjoyed a nice view of the sky's stars.

"We should be heading back to Camelot" Arthur said, "Merlin and I have duties. And a country cannot be run without its King after all. I will knight you all again"

"Wait- _Merlin_ has duties?" Gwaine asked. "Yup" Arthur nodded, "He's the Kingmaker now. And I knighted him a week ago"

Everyone's mouths dropped, "You _Knighted_ MERLIN?"

Merlin smiled to himself, "I am his advisor and protector too" He added. After some silence Gwaine broke the ice, "Surely, he must be too clumsy to do the job"

"Gwaine!" Merlin complained. "I am not!"

"Actually, he is a bit clumsy too. And that adds Maree to the list too" Arthur agreed. "Not you too!" Merlin looked at Arthur with a gasped expression.

All of the knights laughed. "We must get packing then, even if we slept for the night, the tent won't hold us all"

"All right sire" Leon said. "Off we pop" They all went to work to fold up the tent and put it away in one of the hugs bags that Arthur, Merlin and Lancelot brought with them.

"I'll light the way" Merlin said, lifting up his hand and whispers a spell to create light.

That night Merlin felt like that he was complete, as if the nightmares and sadness in his heart has faded and smiled with happy tears in his eyes.

He was finally happy.

PART 1 END- PART 2: s/12212902/1/Arthur-s-Awakening-PART2


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